A Foggy Feeling
by M.C.E.Black
Summary: A Bleach Oneshot, turned full story due to request. Rukia's unsure of what's happening between her and Ichigo, but will she at least be able to tell the difference between reality and a daydream? Rated for adult themes and language. IchixRuki
1. The Bathroom

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Bleach or any of the related characters. I give all credit to Tite Kubo.

**A/N:** Okay, so here's my first Bleach fic. I have recently become quite obsessed with the series and have always been supportive of the RukiaxIchigo pairing. (I dunno, Orihime just kinda drives me nuts.) This isn't very explicit, but has some adult themes. Please enjoy.

**A Foggy Feeling...**

_Crreeeaaak..._

Rukia's fingers slipped through her raven-colored hair, the water landing in droplets on the tile of the shower. Stepping out, she pulled a towel from the nearby rack.

The soft cloth was dragged across her pale skin, soaking up the last traces of water on her body. Moving toward the door, she caught her reflection in the mirror. She blinked slowly, staring at herself. Gently, she allowed the towel fall to the floor.

She wasn't entirely pleased with her gigai, but she wasn't sure how things would be different if she looked like, say, Orihime. Orihime was beautiful. She was tall, and leggy, and her hair was so long. And her breasts. Her breasts were so...

Rukia glanced down at her much smaller ones. No normal teenage boy would ever prefer her when Orihime was around. No normal teenage boy would even glance her way.

But then again, Ichigo was no normal teenage boy. She knew that. Perhaps more than anyone else.

Shaking her head, Rukia tried not to think about him. She had been doing her best to ignore the strange feelings that had come over her since she'd been in this body. She had never thought she'd feel like this again, but it was certainly nothing she welcomed. She remembered the last time this happened. She remembered the pain it had caused.

_No,_ she thought furiously. _I won't go through that again._

Instead of moving, she continued to stare at herself.

_But what if this time is different?_

Ichigo had never shown a real attraction toward Orihime. He had never fell victim to her voluptuous figure. Despite how much Orihime worshipped him, he didn't see her as anything more than a friend. Or at least, he'd never shown any signs of them being anything more than that.

But why did Rukia care? She couldn't care. She wouldn't _allow_ herself to care. As soon as she got her powers back, she would never see Ichigo again. She would never return to his side. And besides, there was nothing between them. One could hardly consider them friends, the way they argued.

_There's a fine line between love and hate..._

Rukia had read that somewhere before, but had tried to ignore it, though it seemed to eat away at the back of her mind. There was something about Ichigo that always appealed to her, though she could hardly explain it.

Perhaps it was because she merely longed for the feeling of a warm body beside her once again, but she often found herself dreaming of being beside Ichigo, as she lay half-asleep in her closet. As she stared at her reflection, her mind wandered back to those daydreams. To those forbidden thoughts.

It was almost as if she could feel his hand on her shoulder. Closing her eyes, she could feel it gently slide across her collarbone, moving dangerously close to her breasts. His other hand rest on her hip, hugging her from behind. She could feel his bare chest against her back and his hot breath on her neck.

"Ichigo..." she whispered aloud, as though she were trying to determine whether her was truly there or not.

As Ichigo's hands moved lower, Rukia's arm found it's way behind his neck, pulling his face closer to hers. Turning to him slightly, their lips lingered merely millimeters apart. She gasped lightly as his hand landed between her legs. He covered her mouth with his own as Rukia took his other hand and placed it gently on her right breast.

With a swift motion, Rukia was flipped around. Her arms locked around his neck, as Ichigo pressed her against the wall. As their lips broke apart, Ichigo kissed along her neck, sucking lightly at the base. Rukia moaned, running her fingers through his orange hair.

His hands rested below her backside, lifting her off her feet. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed himself closer to her. Her breathing became shallow as she kissed him fiercely, begging for entrance to his mouth. He gave in, only heightening the heat of the foggy bathroom.

"Rukia..." he muttered huskily.

The heat in her lower stomach grew as their hips came together in a rhythmic motion. She moaned his name over and over as he proceeded to line her neck with his lips.

"Oh, Ichigo..." she gasped. "I-I lo-"

"RUKIA!" a loud voice interrupted them.

Rukia's eyes flew open. She was standing, by herself, in the middle of Ichigo's bathroom, naked. Her body shook as she thought over what she was certain had just happened. She could feel her knees grow weak as Ichigo's voice echoed in her head. A sudden panic washed over her. Had she said anything aloud? Had anyone heard anything? What if Ichigo-?

"Rukia, my love!" the door opened and a small stuffed animal made his way into the room. "You-" he froze, staring wide-eyed at the naked woman before him. "Heyyy..."

Grabbing the towel once again, Rukia covered herself. Before Kon could say another word, she hurried out of the bathroom, not bothering to notice the fact that she'd stepped on the small creature as she passed.

She froze as she entered the hallway. Ichigo stood right outside the door, looking at her confused.

"Did you say my name?" he asked, pretending to ignore the fact that she was wearing nothing but a towel, though failing horribly. He'd always been quite uncomfortable around scantily-clad women.

"What?" Rukia tried to sound innocent, though her face had turned several shades of red in a matter of five seconds. "No. I was...singing. In the shower. I do that sometimes. I've heard it's normal for people to do that."

"Oh," Ichigo said. "Well, then...Yuzu and Karin are home, so hurry up and get dressed. I tried to tell you, but I guess you were _singing _too loud." There was a distinct tone of sarcasm in his voice. He seemed to be covering up the fact he was embarrassed.

Rukia glared at him and hurried past him into his bedroom. He followed her, still resisting the urge to look at her, and ignoring the probing thoughts in his head. She disappeared into the closet she called a bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her. Glancing at the closed doorway, Ichigo flopped down onto his bed. In order to distract himself, he pulled out a nearby magazine.

Inside the closet, Rukia, still wrapped in the towel, leaned against the door, breathing deeply. Her body was still hot and flushed from her daydream. It had seemed so real to her. They were increasingly becoming so.

She had to be careful. Some day soon, she was going to go too far. Some day soon, she was going to be caught. Some day soon...

She cracked the door open slightly, watching Ichigo as he shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "I'd be forced to admit I'm falling for you..."

**A/N:** The relationship between these two is so depressing. Even if they truly loved each other, they're both too proud to admit it. (I hate those situations). And I love the little sentimental moments Rukia has here and there, so I decided to throw one or two in here. I hope you liked it. It was just something I wanted to give a try. Please Review and perhaps, in the future, I'll try a whole Bleach story. I dunno. Thanks! Much love to you all!


	2. School

**DISCLAIMER:** I still don't own BLEACH, but now I actually own some of the manga. I've been leeching them off of my friend for the longest time now. Now I have some copies of my own! And a Bleach sketch book, just cause I'm awesome like that.

**A/N:** Okay, because I'm weak and spineless, I've decided to give in and make some more chapters to this story. I apologize if this chapter isn't as good as the first, because I never intended on a second chapter, so I have to come up with some kind of plotline (which has yet to come to me...). I hope you still enjoy this though. Remember it's my first Bleach fic, so I'm still kinda getting used to working with these characters.

**Chapter 2: School**

"Ichigo," Rukia said quietly. "Ichigo, you have to get up."

Ichigo rolled over, pulling the blankets over his head, so his hair stuck out at odd angles. Rukia sighed and shook his shoulder gently.

"Ichigo, we have to go to school," she urged. He still refused to wake up. Sounding panicky, she tried another approach. "Ichigo, quick! A Hollow!"

Ichigo didn't respond. Groaning loudly, Rukia climbed onto the bed, over him. She didn't want to have to do this, but he left her with no other choice. She yanked the blanket away from his face.

"Ichi-" she paused. His eyes twitched lightly as he sighed deeply in his sleep. For some reason, she couldn't do it. She didn't want to wake him up. He looked so innocent while he was sleeping. Rukia wondered if the Hollows haunted him there as well, or if this was where he could finally be at peace with everything.

"Rukia..."

Her eyes grew wide as he softly murmured her name. What did this mean? Was Ichigo dreaming of her or was he merely aware that she was on top of him?

"ICHIGO! TIME FOR SCH-" Kon froze at the edge of the bed, spotting Rukia. "Wha-? WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

Ichigo shot up, knocking Rukia onto the floor. "What? Is there a Hollow?"

Rukia rubbed her head where she'd hit the floor. "No, we have to go to-"

"YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!" Kon jumped onto Ichigo's bed and pointed at him threateningly. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY RUKIA?"

Ichigo looked confused. "What are you-?"

Rukia clapped her hand over Kon's mouth and threw him into the closet, slamming the door shut. His voice could be heard muffled through the wood, though it was hard to make out what he was saying.

"Do I want to know what he was talking about?" Ichigo asked, watching her as she turned back to him.

"No," she answered shortly. "Get ready for school. You're going to make us late."

Ichigo glanced at his alarm clock and jumped. "Why didn't you tell me what time it was?"

"It's not my fault!" Rukia shot back. "What am I? Your personal alarm clock?"

Ichigo sat silently, gaping at her with his mouth open, unsure of how to respond. She stared back at him, expecting him to do something.

"Are you going to get ready?" she asked. "Or are you just going to sit there?"

"I'm not changing in front of you!" Ichigo said loudly, his face turning a deep shade of red.

"Oh grow up, Ichigo..." Rukia headed for the window, sighing deeply.

"Ichigo! You're going to be late for school!" Yuzu's voice sounded from the hallway outside. "And breakfast is getting cold! Are you coming down?"

"Yeah! I'll be out in in a minute!" he said, slipping out of bed. "Ruki-" he froze. The girl had already disappeared out the window. Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hey! Are you listening to me? Is anyone out there?" Kon's voice sounded urgent as he began to pound on the inside of the closet.

* * *

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Tatsuki asked, peering at her best friend as they walked to school. "You seem stranger than usual. Did something happen?"

Orihime smiled cheerfully. "No. I'm perfectly fine. I don't know what you're talking about."

"You've been daydreaming again, haven't you?" Tatsuki asked.

Orihime didn't answer. Instead, she continued to smile and walk past Tatsuki. There was a strange bounce in her step as she began humming to herself.

"Hey," Tatsuki said, looking past her friend. "Hey, is that Rukia?"

Orihime looked up. Sure enough, about a hundred feet in front of her, she could see Rukia heading in the direction of the school. "Huh, yeah. She's alone. That's strange."

"Yeah," Tatsuki nodded. "Doesn't she usually walk to school with Ichigo?"

"Rukia!" Orihime called out to the girl ahead of them, waving her hand furiously. "Rukia! Wait up!"

Rukia stopped shortly and turned to see who had called her name. She was surprised to see Tatsuki and Orihime running toward her. Her face turned red as she remembered the thoughts she'd had only the day before regarding Orihime.

"Where's Ichigo?" Orihime asked. "Don't you two usually walk to school together in the morning?"

Rukia frowned. She should have seen that one coming. Of course, Orihime only cared about Ichigo. Slowly, she forced herself to smile. "He's going to be a little late this morning. He was helping his sisters with something."

Orihime smiled, if possible, even wider. "Oh, he's so thoughtful!"

Tatsuki noticed the look on Rukia's face as she turned to continue walking. It was not something she'd ever noticed before, at least on Rukia, but it was a look she was quite familiar. It was a look of unmistakable jealousy.

"Do you want to walk to school with us, Rukia?" Orihime offered.

Rukia turned, still smiling that ever-fake smile. "No, that's all right. I...I actually wanted to stop somewhere first. You two go on ahead without me."

Orihime opened her mouth to insist that they join her, but Tatsuki spoke up. "All right then," she said, grabbing Orihime by the elbow. "We'll see you later then, Rukia!"

Rukia nodded and waved back weakly. Her smile fading quickly, she looked around. Now, she had to find somewhere to go.

* * *

"Ichigo!" Orihime said loudly as the boy stepped through the classroom door.

He was caught off guard by the abrupt greeting and smiled. "Hello, Orihime."

Taking his seat, Ichigo looked around the room. Orihime looked baffled by his unusual smile, but shook it off, as she normally did, when he returned to his normal grimace. Tatsuki noticed Ichigo glancing in the general direction of Rukia's empty seat.

"Where's..." he started slowly.

"Rukia said she had to go somewhere before school," Tatsuki answered, before he managed to finish his question. "She didn't say where though."

Ichigo frowned. It was unlike Rukia to be late for school. Unless, of course, there was a Hollow around, but she would have told him if that was the case. Where on Earth could she be?

He glanced up at the clock as the first bell rang and the last of the students hurried into the room. Rukia was still not among them, which caused him to worry even more.

Shaking his head furiously, he mentally yelled at himself. Rukia was a big girl. She could handle herself. He didn't need to be worrying about her every time she wasn't somewhere she should be. He didn't need to be worrying about her, period.

Unconscious of his actions, his eyes slipped back to Rukia's vacant seat.

_She'd better get here soon...

* * *

_

The morning breeze blew lightly through the small park. Rukia sat atop a small hill, her arms locked tightly around her knees as she stared out at the faint hues of the sunrise. She sighed deeply, trying to clear her head of all thoughts. She was late for school, but for some reason, she didn't seem to care.

_Rukia..._

Ichigo's voice seemed to be an broken record in her head. She'd had another dream last night, much more in depth than the one in the bathroom. She didn't know where they were coming from, and frankly, she was frightened to see where they were going to go.

_Rukia..._

Rukia buried her head into her knees, in a desperate attempt to squash his voice out of her head. All this seemed to be in vain as his voice seemed to grow louder. Before she knew it, it was as if he were standing right behind.

"Well, well, well..." a voice said. "If it isn't Miss Rukia?"

Rukia's head shot up. She knew that voice. She thought she'd been imagining things. Behind her, she recognized the green striped hat of her good friend Kisuke Urahara. He smiled at her from his branch on a nearby tree.

"How strange that I should find you here..." he said softly. "Shouldn't you be somewhere else?"

Rukia didn't answer. She didn't feel like being anywhere else at the moment. In truth, she wanted to be alone, and he was bothering her. She wished he would go away.

"Something's bothering you," he pointed out. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," she answered shortly. "It's nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Rukia..." he said, sounding as mystical and all-knowing as usual. "I know that something's wrong. Is it the Ichigo kid? Has something happened?"

_You could say that..._Rukia thought bitterly.

"No," she repeated. "I said it's nothing."

He smirked, glancing down at her from under the brim of his hat. "Is this life not all that you thought it would be?" he asked. "Is it more complicated? Full of things one would much rather live without?"

"Human feelings are senseless," she replied, sounding almost as mystical as Urahara. "They are nothing more than an annoyance and they bore me. I would much rather prefer my old self."

"But certainly, you must get something out of being this way," Urahara suggested. "There must be something good about it."

Flashes from the dreams of the days before came before her eyes. She could hear the sounds of her gasping breath as Ichigo's hands ran over her bare body. She could never have felt that way if she were in her spirit form. She could never truly feel the warmth of his body.

But then again, she never had. Everything had been a dream. She had to keep convincing herself that none of this had ever truly happened, nor would it ever happen. They couldn't allow themselves to let that happen. It would lead to nothing but disaster and a mess of more of these "senseless" feelings.

"Not that I can think of," she answered bluntly. "The sooner I return to my spirit form, the better. This gigai bothers me."

Urahara knew that Rukia was keeping something from him, but he didn't push the matter. When Rukia wanted to face it, she would, and he would let her do that on her own. For now, he would leave her in peace.

"You know..." he said, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen between them. "You're never going to enjoy yourself with such a sour disposition. Live a little. Have some fun, while you can. That's what I always say, you Soul Reapers never have any time for fun. You're always off fighting those Hollows. And if you're not fighting Hollows, you live in anticipation of another mission. You live a life of constantly looking over your shoulder, wondering when the next evil will attack."

Rukia didn't reply. She hated to admit it, but her friend was right. As ridiculous as he always seemed, he was quite useful to have around in a sticky situation.

She chuckled lightly. "And I suppose you're the exception?"

He smiled broadly. "Yep. You don't see me worrying about Hollows every five seconds, do you?" he shook his head, before she could manage to get out a reply. "Nope. Not me. The only time you see me out there is when I'm saving your butts from danger."

Rukia glanced at him over her shoulder. "If we're such a hassle, then perhaps you shouldn't bother helping us anymore."

Urahara laughed under his breath. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here today, kid. Remember that."

Rukia fell silent. Again, she hated it when he was right about these things. Sensing that his presence was no longer welcome, Urahara cleared his throat loudly.

"Well, I guess I'd better be going..." he said loudly, shifting himself in the tree.

Rukia made no reply. Instead, she continued to stare off into the distance. Landing on his feet, he moved to walk away, looking back at her for a brief moment.

"Perhaps you'd better get going too," he said matter-of-factly. "I do believe you're late for school."

**A/N:** As you see, not much of a plotline yet, but hey, I'll come up with something. It usually hits me when I'm say...in the shower or something. Actually, one of my best stories started when I was in the shower, so hey! Inspiration comes from strange places. Anyways, please REVIEW! I want to know if you guys are still interested! Thanks a lot! I'll try to update soon!


	3. Lunchtime

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles. Even though I really really wish I did.

**A/N:** Okay, so here's the next chapter. I apologize for taking such a long time, but I've had horrible writer's block lately and I just haven't been able to write anything good. I've been doing everything to inspire me though. For instance, I even did my hair like Rukia's yesterday. My hair is cut like her's anyways, but I straightened it and then styled it so a single peice dangled in front. Then I took pictures of myself and didn't even realize I was wearing a black shirt with a white undershirt, so it looked like I was wearing the shinigami outfit. They came out really cool, actually. I was quite proud. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Chapter 3: Lunchtime**

"Where were you?" Ichigo mumbled as he and Rukia headed for lunch.

Rukia didn't answer immediately. She continued to stare ahead of her when she answered, avoiding eye contact at all costs. "There was somewhere I needed to be."

"Was it a Hollow?" he asked quickly.

"No," she said hastily. "It was nothing important."

"Then why the hell were you pressuring me?" he asked. "You could have left! You could have gone withou-"

"I didn't want you to be late," Rukia said, a strange strong tone in her voice. "It doesn't matter if _I'm_ late. I don't need an education. When I'm gone, none of this will matter anymore. When I leave here, none of them will even remember me!"

Ichigo was stunned by her response. He hadn't been expecting it to be so serious, and he hadn't expected it to be anything along those lines. He just wanted to know why she'd woken him up so early this morning, claiming they had to get to school, or they'd be late, and then was late anyway, even though she left about a half an hour before he did.

But another thought stuck him. He'd never thought about what she'd said before. She wasn't going to be with him forever. One day, when she got her powers back, she would have to return to the Soul Society. He would probably never see her again.

And why did she think everyone would forget about her? Would _he_ forget about her? He couldn't imagine how he could. No, he'd never be able to.

"That's not true," he muttered.

"Yes, it is." she replied shortly.

"No," Ichigo insisted. "No, it isn't."

"Yes," she glanced at him sharply. "It is. That's how it always is."

Ichigo knew Rukia could make people forget an event, but a whole school? Including the teachers? He didn't think it was possible. She couldn't be _that_ powerful.

"I won't," he said, breaking the silence.

Rukia stopped, her eyes growing wide. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind. "No?"

Ichigo caught himself and smiled smugly. "Of course not. You come in here, nearly kill my family, nearly kill me -REPEATEDLY- room in my closet, and invade my privacy for nearly two months now!" he laughed heartily. "And you've turned me into a Soul Reaper. I'm going to hold this against you forever!"

He hurried ahead of her, leaving her behind in her stupor. Fuming, Rukia muttered angrily to herself. She thought that Ichigo was going to say something slightly heartfelt. She had almost been anticipating it, but instead, he'd been typical Ichigo, and avoided the awkwardness that would have followed.

Instead of following him to eat with the boys, Rukia returned to her usual spot, high in a tree limb, peering over the school grounds. She liked to eat by herself. She seemed perfectly content in her tree, all alone with her lovely little juice box.

_Straw..._her mind was still wrapping it's way around that word. It was one of the first things Ichigo taught her about this world. It was something she was certain she'd remember for the rest of her life, whether she stayed there or returned to the Soul Society.

_Straw..._

Sipping it rather loudly, she didn't seem to notice when Orihime and Tatsuki, followed by several other girls appeared at the base of the tree. They didn't seem to notice her either, as they sat down and began to chat amongst themselves. Finally noticing them, Rukia looked down, frowning.

"Oh forget Ichigo," Chizuro said loudly, her eyes turned fondly in Orihime's direction. "He's a complete waste of time. Especially when you could have someone like me to-"

"Oh would you just give it up, already?" Tatsuki growled, glaring in Chizuru's direction. "It's never going to happen between you too. In case you didn't notice, Orihime doesn't even look at anyone other than Ichigo."

Chizuru frowned. "But, Orihime-!"

"Rukia?" Orihime interrupted Chizuru's outburst, noticing the small girl in the tree. "What are you doing up there?"

Rukia pulled the straw from her mouth, smiling at them. "Oh nothing!" she replied. "Just eating my lunch!"

"Come eat lunch with us!" Orihime offered. "You look so lonely up there!"

_I don't mind..._Rukia thought to herself. To be honest, she didn't really want to eat lunch with them. She wanted some time to think over everything that had happened. It didn't seem like that was going to be a possibility, however.

Sliding down the tree, Rukia landed on the ground next to them. The others continued to talk, though she could hardly hear what they were saying. It was as if someone had filled her head with cotton and all she could hear was that same echoing voice that had plagued her all morning.

"Rukia? Rukia, are you even listening?" Chizuru asked, staring at her.

"Oh," Rukia looked up. "Oh, of course. I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"I was telling Orihime how Ichigo seemed more interested in you instead of her, and how she should give him up," Chizuro explained. "Don't you agree?"

Rukia wasn't sure how to answer. For some reason, a great part of her wanted to answer 'Yes', but she knew that would be hurtful to Orihime. If they had asked a month or so before, she would have blurted out any answer without thinking twice, but lately, she'd grown a great sense of morality.

"I-I wouldn't know..." Rukia answered cautiously. "I don't know much about him, really."

"What do you mean?" Chizuro asked. "You spend every day with him! How can you not know much about him? I mean he's practically-"

"Chizuro, shut up!" Tatsuki spat. "Can't you see that she doesn't want to talk about it?"

"No," Orihime spoke up. "I want to know too. Has Ichigo said anything to you, Rukia? Does he ever mention me?"

To be completely honest, he never really did, though she didn't want to tell her that. It would be worse if she didn't, however, because Orihime would be left with a sense of false hope.

But then, what if Ichigo _did_ like Orihime? They had known each other for much longer and undoubtedly were much closer than he and Rukia were. He would certainly know more about her, and she was so loyal to him. What could she, a Soul Reaper, be able to offer him? She belonged at the Soul Society and he belonged here, among the living. They would never be able to work it out.

Sitting there amongst the staring girls, Rukia felt a new feeling come over her. For the first time, she truly felt the painful sting of jealousy.

-----

"What is going on with you and Rukia?" Keigo asked angrily, standing in front of Ichigo.

Ichigo looked up, confused, a bit of food dangling from his bottom lip. "What?"

"I know something's going on with you two!" He insisted. "You can't deny it anymore! Come on, just admit it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ichigo replied, brushing the food from his mouth. "We're not even friends, really."

"Oh don't you lie to me!" Keigo shook his fist. "How come the only time I ever see her, she's with you? Where does she go outside of school? Does she live in your closet or something?"

Ichigo's eyes grew wide and he choked lightly. "No!"

"Then where does she go?" Keigo sat down heavily. "Where does she live? Who does she hang out with? What does she do in her spare time?"

Ichigo frowned, wondering the same exact thing. _What does she do when she's not with me? Why does she spend so much time in my closet?_ He shook his head furiously. _I'm not sure I want to know, actually._

"Do you actually think you have a chance with her, Keigo?" Mizuiro asked.

"Of course!" he clasped his hands together dramatically. "If it's meant to be, we'll be together for the rest of our lives."

Ichigo rolled his eyes and chuckled under his breath. He couldn't see how anyone would manage to stand Rukia until the day she died. Could she even die? Did Soul Reapers pass on, and if so, where did they go?

Ichigo frowned, though he wasn't quite smiling to begin with. It was an interesting thought. How could Rukia have a relationship with anyone other than another Soul Reaper? She could certainly try, but things would never really work out. They would grow old together, but Rukia would defy all laws of aging, by remaining the same in appearance. She was hundreds of years old, and yet, she looked no older than he. For her to get into a relationship with a real human would be pointless. She would merely be waiting around for him to die.

No. If Rukia were to ever find someone for her, he would have to be of the same kind. He would have to be a member of the Soul Society. Someone of her level. A Soul Reaper.

But why this bothered him so much, Ichigo couldn't quite put his finger on it. Perhaps it was still the idea of a life without Rukia. In the past two months, his life had literally revolved around her. Of life before, he had no recollection. He couldn't remember anything of what was before a life filled with Hollows. He couldn't imagine what it would be like once she went-

"So, you guys wanna hang out tonight?" Keigo asked, changing the subject abruptly. "We can go check out the newest games at the arcade!"

"Can't," Mizuiro replied shortly.

"And why the hell not?" Keigo glared at him. "What do you have going on that's more important than us?"

"I've got a date tonight," he answered, shrugging.

"A date?" Keigo burst. "With _who_?!"

"That girl we saw at the park the other day," he said, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

Keigo had returned to his feet. "THE GIRL FROM THE PARK?" he yelled. "YOU MEAN THE TALL ONE? SHE'S GOT TO BE AT LEAST FIVE YEARS OLDER THAN YOU!"

Mizuiro didn't seem to be fazed by this. It was just another game for him. He didn't find girls their age as appealing as those older than them. It was quite natural for him to date a woman of this caliber. "Yeah," he said. "So?"

"SO?" Keigo continued. "HOW IS IT THAT YOU CAN GET A GIRL LIKE-"

"ICHIGO!" a voice interrupted them.

"Ichigo?" Keigo looked confused. "No, no, actually. That would be quite frightening...'

"ICHIGO!" the voice repeated, sounding loud and urgent.

Ichigo looked up to see Rukia running at him at full speed. He was certain that if she didn't slow down soon, she was going to run right into someone. Keigo turned around to see who had shouted.

"Rukia!" He said, his eyes growing wide and longing. "How are you-"

"No time to talk!" she grabbed Ichigo by the arm. "We have to go!"

"What?" Ichigo yelped as he was dragged away. "Now?"

"Yes, now!" she hissed at him. "We have an order!"

"But-" he gaped at her. "What about class?"

"Never mind that!"

The boys watched as the pair faded off into the distance. A strange look of reject now donned Keigo's face. Mizuiro tried his best to suppress the chuckle that had begun in his chest. Chad, who had been listening silently to the entire conversation, gazed after Ichigo and Rukia, blinking slowly. As usual, he appeared to be doing some intense thinking.

"I wonder where _they're_ going..." Mizuiro asked, smirking.

Keigo turned to him, shaking a fist in his direction. "I OUGHTA KNOCK YOU OUT!"

With a sharp jerk, Keigo was brought to the ground. Chad had grabbed his sleeve, forcing him to sit. Without a word, he returned to his reverie, as though nothing had happened. Feeling at a loss, Keigo opened his lunch bag and began to eat hastily, ignoring the looks he was receiving from his friends.

**A/N:** Yay. Okay, so the next chapter will be somewhat action-y, cause, well, I can't just ignore the fact that there's a hollow. I actually need to come up with a plotline for this thing...cause right now I'm just kinda going along with it. If anyone has any ideas on scenes you'd like to see (or even plots you think would be interesting for this story), I'm fully open to them and will give full credit to the person who came up with the idea. (My writer's block is making these ideas even harder for me to come up with on my own.) So, I thank all of you for reading and reviewing! Please continue to review, because those are what keep me going! I love hearing from all of you, and if I don't reply your review, it's not that I didn't read it, it's because I didn't have time. I DO read ALL of my reviews and appreciate every single one! I'll do my best to get back to you, however. Until next time! Ciao!


	4. Closed Off

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Bleach...-sigh-

**A/N:** Okay, so I've really been lacking inspiration lately, so it's been very hard for me to update. I finally sat down and was like: OKAY! WRITING! NOT GONNA STOP! So, here's the end result. I didn't cut out the Hollow scene, because it kinda had to be there, but it's not very detailed, because I'm not very good with action scenes...especially like this. I hope you still enjoy it though. There's a little IchixRuki tension later on, which was interesting to write.

**Chapter 4: Closed Off**

"Damn it, Rukia!" Ichigo yelled as the two of them raced down the nearest alleyway in pursuit of their latest Hollow call. "Couldn't this wait?"

"Of course," Rukia answered sarcastically. "Because I'm the one who controls when and where the Hollows are going to attack. I'll make sure the next one doesn't interfere with your lunch!"

"Good!" Ichigo shot back. He hadn't been serious, but it was nice to vent some of his anger sometimes.

Rukia sighed angrily and hurried forward, leaving him quite behind. Taking longer strides, he caught up quickly, smirking at Rukia haughtily. Rukia allowed him to move ahead, but fell behind, taking a sharp right turn down another alley. Ichigo, realizing he didn't know where they were going, stopped, taking notice of Rukia's disappearance.

"Rukia?" he called out. "Where'd you go?"

Rukia peeked back around the corner. "Are you coming or not?"

Ichigo followed, but failed to answer her question. He had wanted to argue with her that they didn't have times to play games, but in reality, he'd been the one competing with her in the first place, therefore it had been his fault. He was certain Rukia was aware of this.

The towering monster loomed ahead of them, high above the city buildings. It was rather quiet for a hollow, which seemed to catch the two Soul Reapers off guard. Rukia stared up at it in confusion.

"He looks different from the others..." Ichigo pointed out. "Are you sure he's a Hollow?"

Rukia nodded slowly. "That's what the order says."

"Then let's kill him..." Ichigo moved forward, but Rukia threw out her arm to stop him.

"No," she insisted. "Wait. Something doesn't seem right..."

"Who cares?" Ichigo said impatiently. "We have to stop him, and I'm not going to wait around all day for you to make a decision on whether he's a normal Hollow or not."

Before Rukia could speak again, Ichigo had hurried off into the direction of the Hollow, seeming to forget that he had yet to become spirit-form. Rukia sighed, irritated, having no choice but to follow him once again.

"Ichigo, you idiot!" she called after him. "You're going to get yourself into trouble! You could be throwing yourself headfirst into a trap!"

Ichigo froze, feeling something tug sharply at his heart. Perhaps Rukia hadn't meant it, but she'd said something that he'd thought about many a time before. He had thrown himself into a trap once, he could certainly do it again, subconsciously of course. He'd never want to have that happen again on purpose.

He didn't want to lose any more loved ones.

Without warning, Rukia hit him sharply on the back, causing his soul to leave his body. Glancing back at her, Ichigo waited for further instructions that never came.

Rukia watched as he darted forward toward the monstrous creature. Ichigo's zanpaku-tô flashed in the sunlight, sending shards of color across the asphalt. Catching the Hollow's attention, Ichigo managed to catch it by the tail, knicking it slightly.

It roared loudly, making it's first sound since their appearance. Rukia did not find this out of the ordinary for a Hollow, but did find it suspicious that it failed to say anything else. Usually Hollows tended to be rather loud and quite talkative.

It turned to look at Ichigo through onyx colored eyes, it's bonelike mask nearly covering one. Ichigo braced himself, raising the zanpaku-tô above his shoulder.

"Ichigo!" Rukia called out as Ichigo executed another attack. "Watch his tail!"

The same tail that Ichigo had sliced before found its way around him, knocking him backward. Rukia smothered the urge to move toward him, feeling a strange sense of fear wash over her.

"Ichigo!"

With a sharp slash, the Hollow reared back, roaring once again. Ichigo only turned momentarily to look back at Rukia who was still watching him intensely. He had never noticed the way she watched him while he fought and it greatly intrigued him. He was certain that no one had ever looked at him in that way before.

In that brief moment of vulnerability, Ichigo had let his guard down, leaving him wide open to the Hollow, who chose immediately to attack. As he regained his balance from the latest blow, Ichigo was certain he'd heard the Hollow laugh.

"AARGH!" Ichigo struck the side of the Hollow's head, only to ricochet off the edge of his mask.

For some reason, Ichigo was finding it difficult to fight off this Hollow. He kept forgetting about the tail, which made frequent trips behind Ichigo, knocking to his knees. Rukia felt helpless as she continued to watch the battle beside Ichigo's discarded body.

"Ichigo! Look out!" she shrieked.

Ichigo managed to keep his focus, placing another fierce blow to the side of it's face. The Hollow, however, seemed distracted by Rukia's outburst, finally taking notice of their audience. It stared at her, as though recognizing her from somewhere before. Rukia's eyes grew wide as it began to move toward her.

Ichigo's zanpaku-tô caught the underbelly of the Hollow as it moved swiftly toward Rukia. It took him a moment to realize the motive behind the Hollow's actions.

"RUKIA!" In short bursts, Ichigo managed to catch up with the Hollow easily. Each one of his footsteps seemed to echo in his mind.

With a death-defying leap, as ironic as it sounds, he landed on the back of the Hollow's neck as it leered down at Rukia. He couldn't understand why she wasn't moving. He couldn't understand why she was merely staring the Hollow in the eye, making not attempt to save her own life.

"Ku...chiki..." a voice finally emerged from the crooked mouth. Rukia's heart seemed to stop as she heard her own name being spoken.

The Hollow, however, would never speak another word, for as it spoke, Ichigo brought the final blow atop it's head. With a deafening scream, it vanished into thin air, causing Ichigo to fall painfully to the ground.

Rukia continued to stare up at the space where the Hollow had occupied only moments before, feeling as though she'd just watched an old friend vanish before her eyes. She couldn't tell what made her feel that way, but the voice wouldn't leave her alone. It attacked her mind repeatedly, as though taunting her.

"I'm fine..." Ichigo said, getting to his feet. "Really. No worries. Don't even bother to thank me."

Rukia finally looked away, taking notice of her friend who was brushing himself off, moving toward his body, still lying a few feet from where they stood.

"I'm sorry," she said absently. "Are you alright?"

Ichigo didn't answer her, replacing himself in his body and bringing himself to full height. Slowly, he started back toward the school, his mind reeling with just as many questions as hers.

"How did that Hollow know your name?" he asked, finally breaking the silence that had grown thick between them. They had taken the long route back to the school, finding that they would miss the rest of their classes, and the journey itself was pointless.

"I don't know," Rukia answered honestly. "I told you there was something different about that thing."

"Is it perhaps an old friend of yours?" he asked, a bitter tone rising in his voice.

"It's possible, I suppose..." Rukia thought the idea over. It would make sense, but she couldn't place the voice.

"Or maybe an old lover?" Ichigo continued, stuffing his hands into his pockets in an irritated fashion.

Rukia stopped abruptly, watching him as he stalked away, his shoulders hunched over in his usual slouched demeanor. She couldn't believe he would say something like that.

"No. It's not!" she said loudly. "Not that it would be any of your business anyway!" When he didn't respond, she hurried after him. "I don't go butting into your business, so I'd appreciate it if you'd keep out of-"

Ichigo laughed sarcastically. "Ha! _You_ stay out of _my_ business?" he couldn't help but laugh again. "Let me remind you that you live in my closet..."

"I wouldn't have to live in your closet if you hadn't been so noble in the first place," she retorted. "You have no one to blame but yourself. I could have taken that Hollow on all on my own, but no, you had to storm in and be the hero."

Ichigo stopped to stare at her. "Oh, so all of this is my fault?"

Rukia nodded, folding her arms across her chest. "Yes."

Ichigo's mouth hung open wordlessly, as though he were going to say something. Changing his mind, he shut it forcefully, and huffed away. Rukia wasn't going to let him back out of this that quickly.

"If you must know, it's not exactly easy for me to watch you fighting them all this time." She explained. "I want to help you, you know, but you're too stubborn to even listen to me. If you tried, you'd probably leave some of your battles with less injuries than you usually receive."

Ichigo refused to look at her, however, his silence was making it seem like she was winning this argument, which was the last thing he wanted at this time.

"All I'm saying, is that I could help you, if you'd just let me..." she stated bluntly.

"And the only reason you want to help me is so that you get your powers back, is that correct?" he asked sharply.

Rukia felt insulted. Did he honestly think that she was that shallow? That she didn't even consider him anything more than just a partner in a business deal? "You're wrong." she said, her eyes growing more fierce by the second. "Y-You're wrong." she repeated.

Ichigo scoffed, not believing her.

"I don't want you to get hurt," she told him honestly. "You had a normal life before I came along. You'll go back to that someday. I just don't want to change that. I don't want you to miss out on the chance of being normal again. "

Ichigo fell silent, his frown more intense than usual. "When you disappear...and everyone forgets..."

"Yes..." Rukia said, their angry movements slowing down to a casual walk.

"Well," he laughed half-heartedly. "If you must know, you've failed already."

She looked at him. "How so?"

"I've never been normal," he told her. "I'm never going to be normal. I've accepted that fact."

Rukia didn't say anything. She had to agree, but that wasn't what she meant. Ichigo's everyday life had been the norm for him. Now, it was nothing but waiting for another Hollow attack. He was no longer what he could consider normal for him.

She'd turned him into a Soul Reaper.

Even if it were a temporary one, she'd turned him into one of her people.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, staring down at her feet as they cast shadows into the orange light on the pavement.

"What are you sorry for?" he asked. "You said that this was all my fault. Why would you be sorry?"

"Because, it's not all your fault..." she said, her eyes unblinking. "I've had some say in this too. I never had to save your life in the first place. I didn't have to save your life any of these times. I never had to help you."

"Well, it would certainly make you an ass if you didn't..." Ichigo said, hoping for a laugh. Not receiving one, he frowned. "Why are you helping me?"

"I told you," Rukia said, finally looking up, though avoiding his gaze. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know that," he said, sounding serious. "But I don't think that's all. What else is it? Why don't you want me to get hurt?"

"I may be dead, Ichigo," she said, glancing up at him. "But I'm not heartless. I care about you."

Before Ichigo could ask anymore questions, they'd entered the house, avoiding all signs of Ichigo's family. When he finally turned to ask for an explanation, he was met with a slam of a door, Rukia locked tightly inside his closet.

He opened his mouth to speak, raising his fist to knock on the door, but paused in mid-air. Changing his mind, his fist relaxed and he sighed deeply. Pressing his hand and forehead against the wood, Ichigo closed his eyes.

Why was she always so closed off?

**A/N:** Okay, so yeah, I'm going to try and update sooner this time, because I know you've all been waiting quite patiently. It's getting harder for me to write, because I've been majorly stressed out lately, and not to mention my muse is still being majorly stupid. You might see even more angst involving Ichi and Ruki, and I apologize (unless of course you like that kind of thing) but that's just inspiration from my life. All that good angst of growing up, ya know? Anyways, please review!! I want to know what you guys still think of this. Thanks!


	5. Caught

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Bleach. I give all credit to Tite Kubo, etc, etc.

**A/N:** Again, I apologize to all you folks for not keeping with the updates. I've still been suffering from writer's block along with a bad case of "Absolutely no time on my hands". Yeah, it's a bad thing for a writer to have. I thank you all for being so patient with me. I'm going to let you know ahead of time that the beginning of this chapter does have a little sketchiness. Nothing explicit, seeing as it's very very very short, but just, you know. Sketchy. Lol. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

**Chapter 5: Caught**

Rukia tossed and turned in her sleep, her back arching, driving her head back into the pillow. He was back. He'd once again found a way to worm his way into her dreams.

"_Rukia..." his low voice drawled seductively in her ear._

_Rukia felt his hand on her shoulder, gently sliding her sleeve away, his hot breath making her skin tingle. Her hands twisted their way into his hair, pulling him closer to her, his lips capturing hers._

_Wrapping her legs around his waist, she because horrible aware of their lack of clothing. She could feel his fingers dancing along the edge of her shirt. She gasped lightly as he pulled it over her head, a bright pink tint flushing her bare body._

_Kissing her gently, his hands moved southward, caressing every inch of her skin he could reach. His lips left hers momentarily, creating small circles down her front, past her breasts, along her stomach and further._

_Rukia felt her breath become caught in her throat as she gasped loudly, a wave of heat flowing to her lower body as he-_

"_I-ICHIGO!"_

Rukia shot up, breathing heavily. Her heart thumped deafeningly in her ears, however it failed to drown the yell from her dream. Beneath the pajamas she'd stolen from Yuzu, her legs began to shake.

These dreams had only been getting worse. She was certain that the one in the bathroom would be as far as they'd go, but this one, this one seemed like she was about to-

"Oh God..." Rukia buried her face in her hands, driving the thought from her mind.

Feeling as though she needed to move, her hand pressed firmly against the door, sliding it open. She retracted her feet as they hit the cold floor and slowly placed them back down, sliding from the pile of futon mattresses. Hesitantly, she started across the room, her eyes focused on the window.

"Don't...do..."

Rukia stopped as Ichigo rolled over in his sleep. He was mumbling something, however she could hardly make out any coherent sentences. He sighed deeply, pulling the blankets to his face, the words stopping suddenly.

Feeling as though it were safe to move again, she placed her hands on the sill of the window. Opening it, a gentle breeze swept around the room. Closing her eyes, she was grateful for the breeze, finding her body to quickly be rid of the heat of her dreams.

Ichigo grunted lightly and Rukia turned suddenly to face him. She was relieved to find him still fast asleep, although he appeared to be shuddering under his cover. Rukia sighed deeply, grabbing hold of the window and slamming it shut.

"Even when you're asleep, you find ways to irritate me..." she mumbled.

A soft 'flump' indicated that something behind her had hit the floor. Whipping around, Rukia spotted a very groggy looking Kon rubbing his eyes.

"Whassamatter, Nee-san?" he asked, yawning widely.

"Kon!" Rukia flushed deeply, remembering that Kon had been in the closet with her. She only hoped she didn't talk in her sleep as Ichigo did. Dropping her voice, she stared at him. "Kon, go back to sleep."

"Did you have a bad dream, Nee-san?" Kon asked, his eyes drooping as he stepped toward her.

"No, no, Kon..." Rukia said hastily. "No, I'm fine. Go back to sleep."

He looked up at her, noticing her position by the window. "Are you going somewhere, Nee-san?" his eyes grew wide. "Can I come with you? Are we running away?" Propelled by a sudden burst of energy, he launched himself toward the window. "Good plan, Nee-san! Just you and me on the wide-"

Rukia pulled him away from the sill, clapping her hand over his mouth. Her eyes darted to the sleeping Ichigo, who hadn't seemed to stir at the sound of Kon's voice.

"Kon, listen to me," she brought him to her face so he could see her eyes. "I am not going anywhere. And if I were, I certainly wouldn't be taking you." Shaking him slightly, she tossed him back toward the closet. "For the final time, go back to sleep."

Kon got to his feet, turning to face her. His eyes darted back and forth between Rukia and the sleeping boy, a sudden look of realization donning his face.

"I see how it is," he snuffled loudly. "You leave poor Kon alone at night to sleep with big, stupid Ichigo. I see how it-"

Rukia fumed, her eyes flashing dangerously. "I do no such thing! Go to bed, Kon!"

Kon muttered to himself as he moved toward the stack of futon mattresses. "I suppose it would make sense...If I had a real body then..."

Rukia turned back to the window. Even if Kon had a real body, she was certain she'd never be with him.

She would never be with Ichigo either, however, that was a whole different definition of "would".

In the window, as though it were a mirror, she could see him grinning slightly in his sleep. As she watched him, she felt that if this were the only chance she'd ever get to see him smile like that, she'd be willing to watch him forever.

* * *

_"Rukia! Wake up!"_

A sharp knock woke Rukia from her rather uncomfortable position. Having finally returned to bed, Rukia had hugged her knees tightly to her chest, allowing Kon to have plenty of room.

"Rukia! Come on! Wake up!"

"Your lover calls..." Kon said bitterly, rolling over to face the wall.

Irritated, and inwardly very embarrassed, Rukia jerked the door open, coming face to face with Ichigo.

"I'm up already," she said, sliding down beside him. Ignoring the plate of food he offered her, she moved past him. "No need to yell so early..."

Ichigo scowled at her, pursing his lips. "I wasn't yelling. I was merely trying to wake you up..."

"Well, do it quieter..." Rukia shot back, stretching widely. Running a hand through her raven colored hair, she turned back around to face him, feeling the color start to rise in her cheeks. She still couldn't get the idea of her dream out of her head. Luckily, he had not come back again.

Scoffing, Ichigo moved toward his desk, tossing the plate aside, not bothering to even munch at it himself. Rukia stared at him, as though expecting him to say something. Ichigo fidgeted with something on his desk.

"Did you..." he started awkwardly. "Did you leave the closet last night?"

Rukia was startled by his random, but accurate, accusation. She shook her head furiously, trying to hide the color that didn't seem to stop flooding her cheeks. "No, no. What would give you that idea?"

"It's nothing..." Ichigo said, averting his eyes. "You just look more tired than usual. Did you sleep?"

"Yes," she answered defensively. "I slept very well, thank you."

Ichigo shook his head, knowing that she was lying to him. "No you didn't."

"And how are _you_ supposed to know what I dream?" she shot at him.

He glared at her coolly, keeping himself composed. "As if _I'd _want to know what _you_ dream about! I said nothing about dreaming! All I said was that it didn't look like you slept very well."

"That ties into dreams," she answered hastily. "One doesn't usually sleep well when they have dreams that disturb them, is that not correct?"

"That's not the point!" Ichigo said, shaking his head once again. "I'm just saying that I know you didn't sleep well last night, and I want to know if you came out here and opened the window."

"You didn't mention the window before..." she said slowly, narrowing her eyes. "Been spying on me, have you?"

Ichigo leapt to his feet angrily. "I have not! I just thought I heard someone last night, that's all! I wasn't sure if you were okay! Forgive me for caring!"

"Oh sure," Rukia laughed harshly. "If that's what you're calling it nowadays." She moved toward the closet door, reaching for a change of clothes. "Caring...don't make me laugh..."

Ichigo opened his mouth to retort, but found himself cut off as the closet door slammed shut and the irate Kon landed at his feet. He glared down at the small creature, finding that the expression was only returned as though he was looking in a mirror.

"What's your problem?" Ichigo asked bitterly, staring down at him.

Kon didn't answer as he rest upside down against Ichigo's leg. He folded his plush arms and looked the other direction, giving off a short grunt of disgust.

"Fine," Ichigo kicked his leg, shaking off the toy. "Don't tell me then. I didn't want to know anyway."

Kon scrambled to his feet, pointing a threatening paw in Ichigo's direction. "I'd watch it if I were you!" he spat at him.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, towering over the plush doll. "Are you challenging me, Kon?" he asked.

Kon's paws curled into tiny fists. "If it means defending my Nee-san, I'd show you a thing or two Ichigo Kurosaki." he growled furiously. "Taking advantage of a poor innocent girl..._My_ poor innocent Nee-san for that matter."

"What the hell are you talking about, Kon?" Ichigo asked, thoroughly confused, though he was merely acting annoyed.

"You should know what I mean," the threatening paw gesture was back. "I know what's been going on between the two of you. I'm not stupid you-"

The closet door opened once again, revealing Rukia already fully dressed in her school uniform. Ichigo was stunned to find, as she slipped out, that she had even managed to put on her shoes in a record time. Without another word, Rukia moved toward the window.

"Where are you going?" Ichigo asked, whipping around to follow her.

Rukia stared at him over her shoulder. She couldn't believe he had seriously just asked her that question. "The circus," she answered sarcastically.

Ichigo scowled once again, catching onto his stupidity. Crossing his arms and sniffing loudly, he leaned against his desk, watching her. "Good. You'll fit right in."

Though Rukia seemed to quickly brush off his comeback, she couldn't help but feel a little insulted by what he'd said. Certainly she wasn't normal, but he couldn't quite consider her a freak either. I mean, where she came from, what she did was considered rather normal.

"I bet I will," she answered coolly, swinging her leg over the window sill.

"Have fun," Ichigo said half-heartedly, looking away from the window.

Rukia rolled her eyes, and braced herself for the jump. She was about the lower herself, when something caught her eye on the lawn below, causing her to freeze where she sat. Ichigo didn't seem to notice her body go rigid.

"Nee-san?" Kon asked, looking up to see Rukia still sitting in the window. "What's wrong?"

"Aren't you going to leave?" Ichigo asked, still not bothering to look at her.

"I-I..." Rukia stammered, feeling her pulse race. "I can't..."

"And why the hell not?" Ichigo stood and marched over to the window, peering past her to what she had seen below. "I can't keep you here all day, you know. People are going to see-" His heart flew into his throat as he spotted them as well.

Down on the lawn, waiting for him as usual, were Keigo and Mizuiro, both staring up at them and both wearing identical looks of shock and horror. Ichigo felt his face turn deep red as his best friends recognized the girl from their class, sitting straddled on the sill of his bedroom window, looking as though she'd just had a very rough night. Keigo blinked a few times, as though trying to convince himself this were all a bad dream.

It was his voice that brought them all back to reality with a dreadful bump.

"_R-R-Rukia-chan?"_

**A/N:** I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I know it's not a very nice cliffie, but hey, I am known for my evil cliffhangers. Hopefully I will have the next chapter very soon. I know that some of my friends will kill me if I don't...so that may be motivation to get it up sooner. As for you, my oh-so-faithful readers, if you review, I would very greatly be motivated to write more of this story in my free time. I thank you all once again for being so very very patient with me, and I hope that you all continue to enjoy this story.


	6. Staring

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles.

**A/N:** I'm sorry for the lack of update, but I've really been trying to update this as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for being so patient.

**Chapter 6: Staring**

"...and so that's why she's staying with me..." Ichigo said as they boys approached the school.

Keigo and Mizuiro nodded slowly at the conclusion of Ichigo's explanation, hardly believing a word of it, but cleverly masking their disbelief. Ichigo glanced over at them.

"You won't tell anyone, right?"

They boys stared at him, and Ichigo raised an eyebrow, as though warning them that if they were to try any funny stuff, they'd have him to deal with. A bit frightened, they nodded quickly, though were certain that if they'd ever tell anyone, they'd make sure Ichigo never found out.

"Good," he said resolutely, sauntering toward the classroom, donning his usual solemn stare. The boys glanced at each other behind his back, exchanging furtive glances.

Ichigo paused outside the classroom door, allowing his friends to enter first. Avoiding giving out a yelp, Ichigo felt himself being tugged back into the hallway as he began to enter the room. Turning around, he found himself dragged down the opposite hall and around a corner.

"What'd you tell them?" Rukia asked, staring at him expectantly.

"Nothing," Ichigo said shortly, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking away.

Rukia narrowed her eyes. "You had to have told them _something_," she said to him. "And please tell me it had nothing to do with you and me being...anything more than friends..."

Ichigo shot her a look. "Why the hell would I tell them something like _that_?" he looked horrified. "And ruin my reputation with those two blabbering it about the school? I don't think so."

"You're male," Rukia pointed out. "I wouldn't be surprised if you'd answered with something along those lines. Any normal boy would." She looked him over. "Then again, we are talking about you..."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" he hissed, his gaze snapping back onto her.

Rukia shrugged, moving away from him slowly. "I'm just saying that sometimes you demonstrate traits that would not be considered normal for a hormonal teenage boy..."

Ichigo turned red, hurrying after her. "I don't know what you're talking about." Changing his mind, he shook his head. "And to be honest, I'm not sure I want to know."

"Well, for one, when I come in wearing nothing but a towel, I get nothing..." she explained as though this were an everyday topic of conversation between the two. "No looks, no blushing cheeks, nothing." She glanced at him. "From any other normal boy, I'd at least get a perverted stare. But with you...nothing."

Ichigo stared at her in shock. "Wait...you _want _me to stare at you?" He shook his head in disbelief. "That makes no sense at all. And why would I _want_ to look at _you_ like that?"

"I don't know," she answered, avoiding his gaze. "I never said you'd want to, I'm just stating that you probably would, if you were normal. Which goes back to my original point. You're not normal."

Ichigo scoffed, staring down at the multi-colored tiles on the floor. "Don't need you to tell me that..." he muttered.

Rukia glanced over at him. "You still didn't answer my question..." she said matter-of-factly.

Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck, finally looking over at her and sighing deeply. "I told them that you were having family troubles. Your Father is in the hospital with some disease and your Mother's run off. My dad, knowing you had nowhere to go, offered to let you stay with us."

Rukia stared at him, coming to a stop and blinking up at him slowly. "That's..." she started. "Lame...actually. How did they buy something like that?"

Ichigo growled. "I'm sorry I couldn't think of anything more to your standards! I didn't exactly have much time to come up with anything. Unless of course, you can convince them of something else!" He flushed deeper, muttering angrily to himself.

Rukia frowned. "I mean, it's not...terrible. If they bought it then there's nothing to worry about, but I'm just surprised they'd believe something as far-fetched as that."

"Why is that far-fetched?" Ichigo asked, not seeing how strange the story was. "It happens more often than you know. Parents leave their kids all the time..."

"That's horrible," Rukia said, looking astounded.

"I never said it was a good thing," Ichigo shrugged, starting off toward the classroom once again. They were going to be late if they didn't show up soon. "But it happens. Maybe not where you come from, but-"

Rukia shook her head. "We don't really have children where I come from. Everyone's pretty much on their own to begin with until they find a family, and then, from then on, they're always together. To leave is almost unheard of, unless you go to school..."

"Well, I'm sorry our world isn't as perfect..." Ichigo said sarcastically, returning his hands to his pockets.

Rukia wasn't sure what to say at this, falling silent once again. Clearing her throat, she fished around for something to say. "They didn't have anymore questions?" she wondered aloud. "Like why I was leaving through your window?"

Ichigo's head shot up as he thought over everything he'd said. Slowly, he shook his head. "No...they didn't actually..." he stared at something at the other end of the hall. "Heh...that's odd."

"Don't complain," Rukia said abruptly. "The less questions they ask, the better off we are. We need to make sure our stories stay consistent," she glanced at him. "If they don't agree then they'll know something's up."

Ichigo nodded in agreement as they stood outside the classroom door. Falling silent, the two stared at each other, as though expecting the other to say something, though both failing to do so.

The bell rang shrilly and the two continued to stare at each other, almost unaware of the sound echoing above them. Almost in a daze, Ichigo reached for the door handle and held the door open for her, indicating for her to enter before him. Rukia stared at him for a moment, a bit confused, before entering and hurrying toward her seat.

Ichigo took his seat, staring at the blackboard intently, his eyes occasionally wandering to the girl sitting merely a few seats away from him. He wondered what would have happened if he'd told them a different story. What if he _had_ said that something was going on between the two of them, not that there _was_, but hypothetically speaking.

It wasn't that he'd want something like that spread around, but part of him wished he'd told them something like that. Perhaps the rumors would start on their own, without the help of his story. Perhaps the boys would completely disregard what he'd told them, and instead, let the entire school know that they'd been screwing each other since her arrival.

Which was certainly _not_ true, as Ichigo would like emphasize greatly.

Sighing, Ichigo jerked his head in the direction of his notebook, deciding that this was probably not the best thing to think about at the moment. However, he was finding it difficult to keep his focus there, as his eyes continued to glance upwards at the raven-haired girl not too far away.

Rukia glanced over her shoulder casually, unsure of what had prompted the action, but following through anyhow. She was startled to find Ichigo staring at the back of her head and turned around quickly, focusing on the paper in front of her.

Embarrassed at being caught, Ichigo cleared his throat loudly and began busily writing down the notes the teacher had written for them on the board.

-----

On the walk home, Ichigo seemed to be purposely ignoring conversation with the girl next to him, both still finding it awkward to talk after what had happened in class. Rukia glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, finding a light pink tint creeping into his cheeks.

"Why were you staring at me during class?" Rukia asked finally, gathering up the courage to bring it up. She sounded calm, although her heart was pounding rapidly.

Ichigo coughed lightly. "I wasn't staring at you," he replied hastily. "Why the hell would I be staring at you? I was looking at the clock."

"The clock isn't on the back of my head," Rukia said pointedly.

"I wasn't staring at you," Ichigo insisted. "What, are we getting a little paranoid?"

"No," Rukia answered, turning her head to him. "I caught you. You were staring at the back of my head. And then you looked away. You were embarrassed. You were staring."

"Was not!" Ichigo sounded irritated as he ran a hand through his orange locks. "God, you make it sound like you wanted me to be staring at you."

Rukia stopped short, glaring at him. "Why on Earth would I want someone, let alone _you_, to be staring at the back of my head during class? I must say it's not my most attractive feature. There's much more you could be staring at!"

Ichigo gaped at her wordlessly as she turned abruptly and marched off. Shaking his head, he started after her.

"You're not normal," he said loudly. "You know this? You are not _normal_. No normal girl would want a guy staring at any part of her body. Maybe it's not the same where you're from, but here, it's a little different. Welcome to the land of the living, darling."

Rukia rolled her eyes, refusing to say anything else to this boy. He was doing anything in his power to deny the fact that he was staring at her, when she thought it would be much easier for him to just admit it, no questions asked.

Ichigo crossed his arms angrily, snuffing loudly to break the silence between them, though he decided not to say anything else himself. Every so often, he'd peek at her to see if she was about to say something, then look away hastily, realizing that she was going to keep her silence.

"You're a pain, you know that?" he said suddenly, finding the silence to be smothering.

Rukia grinned evilly, though avoided looking at him. "I've come to accept that fact..." she laughed a bit. "I embrace it, actually."

"Yeah, well..." he scoffed. "Drives me nuts. Cut it out."

"Makes the fact all the more beautiful," she said, finally glancing over at him, her smile teasing. "And don't even count on it."

Ichigo shook his head, sighing deeply. This girl was impossible. Completely impossible. Taking a deep breath, he decided to tell her this.

She nodded. "I know. I was brought up that way. I suppose my stubbornness gets out of hand sometimes, but it's what makes me interesting." She smiled at him. "I think that's what makes _you_ interesting. If you were this passive guy, I probably wouldn't have stuck around as long as I have."

He smirked at her. "You stayed around because you thought I was interesting?"

"No!" Rukia said sharply. "Of course not! I wouldn't stay behind just because of some mortal boy with no real sense of being a teenager. I have a million other reasons, but none have any relevance to this conversation."

"You stayed because you think I'm hot..." Ichigo teased.

Rukia mimicked gagging noises. "_You?_" she continued to cough and sputter. "Ichigo, please, get over yourself."

Ichigo looked offended. "Well, fine then. See if I let you stay in my closet anymore. You can just find another dirty, dingy place to sleep."

"I'm not sleeping in your bed!" Rukia said sharply, tossing yet another victorious smirk in Ichigo's direction. "What are you, some kind of pervert?"

Ichigo growled in her direction, finally feeling a bit annoyed by her comebacks. However, whether he was annoyed because of what she was saying, or how quickly she could come up with them, was hard to determine.

They fell silent once again, this time refusing to speak until they were back in Ichigo's room. Sighing deeply, Rukia flopped down onto the edge of Ichigo's bed, watching as he paced around his room.

"You don't think Keigo or Mizuiro will say anything, do you?" he asked abruptly, finally looking up at her.

Rukia was startled by the sudden sound of his voice and jumped a bit, looking up at him. Slowly, she shook her head. "I don't think so. Not if they know what's good for them. If they don't want to have to deal with me, they'll keep their mouths shut."

"_You?_" Ichigo couldn't help but laugh. "Why the hell would they feel threatened by _you_?"

Rukia rose to her feet, shaking a fist in Ichigo's direction. "Shall I demonstrate?" she asked threateningly.

Ichigo stood his ground, glaring back down at her, the difference in height quite obvious between the two, though Rukia hardly seemed to notice. Nor did she seem to care.

"I'd like to see you try," Ichigo egged on. "Come on. Sock me one..."

Rukia continued to glare at him, looking fierce and angry, but finally sighed and dropped back to the bed, her hand falling to herself. Ichigo snorted haughtily and placed his hands on his hips in a triumphant pose.

"That's what I thought..." he said offhandedly.

"You're lucky I let you off," Rukia said bitterly. "I coulda knocked you out if I wanted to."

"And you didn't want to?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "That's strange. Most girls would jump at that sort of opportunity." He paused briefly, glancing back at her. "Then again, that's most girls like _you_."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Rukia asked sharply, her eyes narrowing once again as she stared at him.

"Nothing," Ichigo brushed it off, crossing to his desk on the other side of the room. "I don't mean anything by it. I'm just merely stating a fact."

"An insulting fact," she pointed out harshly. "You know what..." she brought herself to her feet a final time. "You're really an ass sometimes."

Ichigo smirked, and laughed bitterly. "That the worst you got?"

Ignoring him, Rukia turned and rolled over on the bed, pulling the blanket over her. Ichigo watched in horror as the young girl made herself as comfortable as possible in _his _bed. Angrily, he stomped forward.

"And what the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked, yanking at the blankets.

"I found another dirty, dingy place to sleep," Rukia said matter-of-factly. "Just like you told me to." she glanced at him over her shoulder. "What, are you going to tell me something different now?"

Ichigo stared at her, doing his best to suppress the irritated feelings that had started in his stomach. As much as she bothered him, seeing her curled up under his blankets caused something else to twist in his stomach, giving off a very different kind of irritated feeling.

"Fine," he said finally, unable to look at her anymore. "Have it. See if I care. I'll just sleep in the closet."

Rukia didn't complain, snuggling even deeper into the covers. Ichigo marched over to the closet jokingly, glancing back at the bed before entering it. He knew he would never be able to sleep in the small closet. He was much too big for it, and Rukia wouldn't want him messing around with her things.

"Rukiaaaa..." he tried to get her attention. "I'm going to go through your bag..."

Rukia didn't respond, keeping her back turned to Ichigo as he called out to her, using different kinds of traps. Rukia didn't seem to be falling for any of them. Feeling at a loss, Ichigo sighed and stared at her back.

"Rukia?" he asked tentatively.

There was no response.

"Rukia, answer me." he continued.

"What?" she asked shortly, her voice muffled by the blankets.

Ichigo was quiet for a moment, thinking over what he was going to say. "Do I really have to sleep in this closet tonight?" he decided playfully.

Rukia shrugged half-heartedly. "It was your choice," she told him. "Do what you want, just as long as I get the bed."

Smirking, Ichigo got to his feet, slowly moving toward the bed and the resting girl. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he pushed her slightly, causing her to roll over.

"Move over, kiddo..." he said.

"Wha-" Rukia stared at him in shock.

"You never said that I had to sleep anywhere," Ichigo explained. "Therefore, I can sleep anywhere I want. And that includes, right here, whether you like it or not."

Rukia stared at him. "You _are _some kind of pervert."

Ichigo lowered himself onto the bed next to her, making himself as comfortable as possible as Rukia curled herself into the smallest amount of space that she could take up. Relaxing, Ichigo wound his hands behind his head and rest it against the pillow.

"You realize I'm only doing this to piss you off," Ichigo said, breaking the silence. "Right?"

"Really?" Rukia asked sarcastically, her eyes drooping closed. "Could have fooled me..." Even her tone seemed weary and tired.

Ichigo watched her as her breathing came to a slow pace. Still facing him, Ichigo watched her peaceful face as she drifted off to a world of sleep. Sighing deeply, he continued to watch her, wishing things were so much easier than they were.

This would be a situation considered adorable by those who didn't know the couple. By those who didn't know that this girl spent a good amount of her time behind the door of a closet. By those who didn't know that Ichigo Kurosaki was not known for his experience and/or interest in the female sex.

However, to Ichigo Kurosaki, this situation was nothing more than a burden. The two were growing close and there was nothing that either of them could do about it. The results were inevitable, and when they day came that Rukia would finally return to the Soul Society, Ichigo knew it was going to be much more difficult to bear than he'd be willing to admit.

For now, however, he didn't have to worry about that. As much as they tried to hide it, Rukia had no intention of leaving anytime soon. And as though she were trying to emphasize this point, Rukia's hand clamped tightly to the sleeve of Ichigo's shirt, sighing deeply in her sleep.

**A/N:** So there it is. Definitely some Ichi/Ruki stuff starting to happen. If there is anything you'd like to see happen in future chapters, please let me know, because inspiration is definitely running dry. Thank you all so very very much, and please review in the meantime. Ciao!


	7. The Dream

**Disclaimer:** Yeah...you know the drill.

**A/N:** Hey all! I am sorry for the lack of update. This last month has been so incredibly crazy and I'm just glad that it's over. I can go back to my writing and such. Yaaay! But...right now I'm uber tired. I haven't gotten more than three hours of sleep in the past...forever. So, anyways, here it is. The next chapter. It's very, very IchiRuki oriented, so I hope you'll all be happy.

**Chapter 7: The Dream**

Rukia's eyes fluttered open, only to come face to face with a sleeping Ichigo. For a moment, she was confused, wondering why the boy had made his way into her closet, but quickly remembered that it was she instead that had intruded on his sleeping space.

It was still incredibly dark out. Glancing at Ichigo's alarm clock, she managed to make out that it was roughly two o'clock in the morning. Groaning, she forced her eyes shut once again, trying her best to fall back to sleep.

Rukia adjusted herself a bit, making herself as comfortable as possible in the little room that she had. Ichigo had rolled over in his sleep and was taking up much of the bed. However, despite moving, Rukia's hand was still gripping the sleeve of his shirt. Noticing this, she pulled her hand away hastily, bringing it to her chest.

_That was strange..._she thought. _Why was I...?_

She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut tight, but despite her efforts, the sudden image of Ichigo that had appeared in her mind would not go away. Sighing, she opened her eyes and rolled onto her back, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

"Ru..."

Rukia started as she thought she'd heard someone begin to say her name. Hesitantly, she glanced over at Ichigo who had not moved from his position. His eyes twitched a bit as Rukia watched him and she knew that he was dreaming. Her curiosity had certainly gotten the better of her as she began to wonder what he was dreaming about, but she forced herself to look away.

Sighing deeply, Rukia was jerked out of her sleepy stupor once again by the sound of someone saying her name.

"Ru...kia..." they breathed. "...don't..."

This time, Rukia's heart nearly stopped. She knew that voice all too well, but she was certain she'd never quite heard it like _that _before. It was soft and low, almost moaning.

Rukia rolled over slowly, facing Ichigo, her eyes watching his lips intently. If he was still asleep, and talking about her at the same time, then...

"...stop it..." he smirked, burying his face into the pillow. "...that...no...stop..."

Rukia blushed deeply as it was finally made very clear to her that he was dreaming about her. And not only was he dreaming about her, but he seemed to be enjoying the dream for he moaned against the fabric of the pillow.

Rukia had half a mind to wake him up from his dream, but couldn't find the strength to bring herself to do so. Instead, she continued to watch him as he tossed a bit in his sleep, giving off the occasional grunt or moan.

Finally, his eyes shot open as he panted lightly. Rukia immediately closed her eyes and pretended to be sleeping, curling her fist by her face in hopes to hide her sheer embarrassment.

"Not again..." Ichigo groaned, realizing what had just happened. Angrily, he rolled over, turning his amber eyes to her sleeping form, giving off a small sigh. "Damn you..." he muttered. "You have no idea..."

Clearly irritated, Ichigo brought himself to his feet. He gave his limbs a shake to get the blood rushing back into them, then moved across the room toward the window, hastily jerking it open. The cool night air was a great relief to the heat that had built up inside him.

This was not the first time this had happened. In fact, it had been happening increasingly over time. Every single night, that girl seemed to make a star appearance in his dreams, in some shape or form, whether or not she had anything to do with what was happening.

"Friggen' pain in the ass, midget..." he spat, staring out the window. Placing his hands on the window sill, he looked back at Rukia over his shoulder. "You hear me?!" he asked, though he hardly expected an answer. "You see what you've done to me? See what you've reduced me to?"

He forced himself to look forward once again, his cheeks flushing a deep shade of red. He hated feeling this easily submissive, especially to something so innocent.

"Y-Yes..."

Ichigo froze, a sudden chill running up his spine. _I didn't just hear that..._He chanted mentally. _I'm hearing things. I didn't just hear that._

"I-I see that..." the voice continued.

_I can't hear you..._Ichigo continued to tell himself. _La la la! You're not speaking to me right now. _

"I could hear you as well..."

_This is so not happening right now...I'm still dreaming..._

"Ichigo, please look at me..."

Ichigo's fingers gripped the sill before he slowly turned around. Rukia had moved from her sleeping position to the edge of his bed, her feet dangling absently. She breathed deeply, taking notice of the bright pink blush that had stained his cheeks.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered.

"What for?" Ichigo asked, trying to look innocent as he brushed the side of his nose.

Rukia avoided glancing at his pants, along with avoiding any other parts of his body. "You know what I'm talking about..." she said.

"I'm not sure I do..." he said, walking toward his desk. He felt uncomfortable discussing this topic with her, especially since she'd been the main attraction.

"Oh would you stop it?" Rukia asked, a bit annoyed with him. "I heard you, alright. I even heard you when you were sleeping. Don't think that you're the only person in this room that's had a sex dream before..."

Ichigo nearly choked at her overly blunt statement. It took a moment for it to register before Ichigo turned back to gaze at her, a strange look of curiosity donning his face.

"Are you telling me that, _you_...Miss Rukia Kuchiki, of the noble Kuchiki family, have perverted dreams?" he smirked devilishly. "Oh how the great do fall..."

Rukia snuffled and jerked her head in another direction. "I hardly see that as any of your business..."

Ichigo stepped toward her. "Oh no...no, no. I beg to differ. I want details."

Rukia crossed her arms defiantly. "I don't think so. You didn't want to share with me, so I don't want to share with you."

"Rukia..." Ichigo said tauntingly as he moved closer and closer. "You were the one who was so eager to share only a second ago. Come on...is there something you want to tell me?"

"Nope," she answered shortly, closing her eyes as she jutted her nose high into the air.

Ichigo sat down on the bed next to her, causing her to swiftly turn her head in the opposite direction, keeping her nose pointed high. Ichigo's hand caught her cheek, turning her back toward him. Though she was now facing him, his hand did not fall, his thumb gently stroking her pale pink skin.

Rukia trembled. "What are you doing?"

"Don't ruin the moment..." Ichigo told her, his eyes roving over her features. Her eyes were still closed, although she longed to open them.

"I'm not ruining it," she said, their voices suddenly dropping to hushed whispers. "There is no 'moment'. What's going on?"

"If you opened your eyes, you would know..." he said matter-of-factly.

Reluctantly, she let her eyes open. Ichigo grinned back at her almost teasingly, still stroking her cheek gently. Irritated with his actions, Rukia brought her hand up to his wrist in hopes of jerking it away.

Ichigo frowned as Rukia's hand made contact. She stared at him for a moment, reconsidering her actions. Panicking, she pulled his hand away and stood, taking Ichigo's spot by the window.

"This is ridiculous..." she said, her voice still remaining quiet.

Ichigo laughed bitterly. "_You_ think so?"

Rukia shot a glare at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't take it so personally," he glared back at her. "What I'm saying is that this sort of thing can be expected from you. You're into that romantic crap. But me..." he waved a hand. "It would only ruin my image."

"Nice to know you care more about how people look at you than your own emotions..." Rukia said harshly.

"Oh and you're not the exact same way?" Ichigo asked, standing up as well. She was irritating as hell, and he was determined to break her from this high throne she'd put herself on.

For if he did, she'd need someone to help her back up. Once again, a place where he could be most helpful.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rukia said, focusing on something in the far distance.

"You..." Ichigo said pointedly. "You and your 'emotions are pointless' crap. You'd much rather be concerned with fooling everyone around you than admit to caring about someone."

Rukia jerked around to stare at her, her nostrils flaring in anger. "Are you talking about me or yourself, here?"

"I'm not _that_ bad..." Ichigo protested.

"Oh really?" Rukia stood before him, trying to make herself appear as intimidating as possible. "You want a bet? You don't do anything for anyone unless it benefits you in some way!" She jabbed a finger at him threateningly. "You're nothing but a selfish, stubborn, egotistical-"

Ichigo grabbed Rukia by the wrist, pulling her to him. Before she knew it, his lips were crushed to hers. Her eyes grew wide for a moment, slightly angered by his actions. Her free hand punched his chest, pulling her away from him.

"What the hell-!?" she started.

Rukia didn't have time to finish her sentence as Ichigo jerked her back to him, meshing his lips with hers. Feeling her anger subside, she let him drape her arm around his neck, pulling him closer to her. She felt weak under his touch, and although she would normally find this unnerving, she was okay with it. There wasn't a part of her that felt threatened in any way.

Ichigo managed to push her mouth open with his own, allowing his tongue to slip past her lips to roam the contours of the wet cave. Rukia moaned against him, her fingers traveling upward to wind into his hair.

The two finally broke apart, breathing heavily and staring at each other as though they'd just realized what they were doing. An embarrassed silence fell over them as Rukia let her arms drop limply to her sides. She was certain that she wouldn't be able to move from her spot if she wanted to. Something had caused her legs to go numb during their intimate moment of weakness.

"Was that..." Ichigo started slowly, looking a bit confused with himself. "Weird...at all?"

Rukia nodded, her eyes still wide as though she were in a daze. "Just...a little..."

He nodded as well, finding the silence that had fallen between them overpowering. For some reason, he felt sleepy again. Stifling a yawn, he jerked his head in the direction of the bed.

"Should we go back to bed now?"

Rukia nodded once more, unable to find anything else to say. "Sure..."

He allowed Rukia to get in first, turning her back to Ichigo as he slid in next to her. The two lay in silence for several very long minutes, unable to drift off to sleep just yet.

"I'm sorry about that..." Ichigo muttered embarrassedly. "I don't know what came over me..."

Rukia shook her head this time. "Don't be...it's fine..."

A small smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth as Rukia rolled over to face him. Taking his arm, she wrapped it around her shoulders, placing one hand against his chest. Her eyes finally closed and Ichigo was certain she'd gone back to sleep.

Ichigo held her close to him, finding himself in a most dream-like position. He couldn't count the number of times his dreams had scenes very much like the one they'd just encountered, or the number of times he'd held her as so.

He only hoped that this time, he wouldn't wake up.

**A/N:** Yaaay! That made me happy! I've got a couple ideas for plot lines, but nothing set in stone yet. Again, I ask of you, if there's anything you want to see happen in this story, let me know. There will be more intense IchiRuki stuff later on. It's just not quite there yet. Anyways, in the meantime, please review and I'll update ASAP!


	8. The Morning After

**Disclaimer:** What would you do if one of these times I actually did say that I owned Bleach?!

**A/N:** Hey everyone! First of all, I want to thank all of you who have been following this story so far. You are all amazing and make writing this story so much more rewarding. So, as a gift to you all for being just so amazingly amazing, here is the next chapter. Please enjoy!

**Chapter 8: The Morning After**

Ichigo stirred early the next morning, the sound of his alarm clock echoing in his ears. He didn't dare open his eyes at first, for he was trying to remember the dream he'd had. Rukia had been in it again, but something about it was different. It had seemed more than real this time around.

In the dream, they'd fallen asleep in each other's arms, Ichigo holding her tightly to his chest. He'd kissed her as well, moments before they'd lain back down. It was much less than the dreams he'd had before, but it seemed to have affected him most, for part of him could still feel her next to him.

Eyes fluttering open, Ichigo was a bit disappointed to find that there was no girl beside him. The blankets were disturbed as though someone had been there before, but he marked it off as something he'd caused with his tossing and turning. A dream like the one he'd had would cause such motions.

Ichigo groaned and stumbled out of bed, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He shook his head furiously trying to rid himself of the vision of her innocent form lying beside him, but only managed to blur it a little. He dressed in silence, fearing that any noise would stir the girl sleeping in the closet, leading to a more than awkward situation they did not need.

There'd been a few too many of them recently.

It wasn't long before he heard the calling voices of his friends outside his window. Frowning, he turned back to the closet, unsure of why Rukia had not yet made an appearance. Alerting his friends that he'd be right down, he hesitantly stepped toward the closed door, knocking on it gently.

"H-Hey, midget!" he called out, knocking a few more times. "You gonna get up sometime today? We got school, you know!"

There was no response. Ichigo's face fell as he leaned closer to the thick wood.

"R-Rukia?" he said softly. "Rukia, are you in there?"

"She most certainly is not!" a loud voice answered as the door flew open. An irate Kon appeared in front of him, pointing a threatening paw in his direction. "She's left already! Why are you so concerned with where she is, eh?"

Ichigo looked taken aback, finding something a little different than what he'd expected nestled inside his closet. A bright red flush appeared at the tips of his ears as he fumed silently.

"Kon!" he hissed. "I was just looking for her! Thought she'd be late for school!"

"Sure, sure…" Kon nodded, his voice mocking belief. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, snuffling cockily. "With all that 'Rukia! Oh Rukia? Where are you Rukia? Come to me, Rukia'…" he broke off, forcing several gagging noises.

"I never said anything like that…" Ichigo shot at him, grabbing the plushie by his fabric mane. The two stared at each other in heated silence before he tossed the stuffed lion aside, moving toward his door.

"Sure…" Kon continued, landing in a heap on the floor. "That's why she fell asleep with you instead of the closet last night…"

Ichigo froze, his hand paused just above the doorknob. Hesitantly, he looked back at Kon over his shoulder. "What was that?" he asked threateningly.

"You should know what I'm talking about," Kon said, getting to his feet. He crossed his arms once again, trying his best to look defiant. "I shouldn't have to explain it to you."

"What do you mean she didn't fall asleep in the closet last night?" Ichigo asked, his face growing angry and insistent.

Kon didn't answer him, moving back toward the closet. Ichigo hurried in front of him, blocking his way. Grabbing the small creature, he brought him once again in front of his face.

"Where was she last night?" he leered.

"Teasing me, are you?" Kon growled. "I already know where she was. You don't have to rub it in, you bastard!"

A soft plush paw came in contact with Ichigo's chin as Kon swung at him angrily. Ichigo's mind was reeling, fearing, though also hoping, that perhaps his dream hadn't been quite as false as he'd thought.

"Ichigo!"

Keigo's voice sounded through the open window, causing Ichigo to drop Kon to the floor. Glaring back at the stuffed animal, he stomped off through the door and down the stairs to meet his friends.

"Where's Rukia-chan?" Keigo asked, peering back up at the window as Ichigo appeared next to him. "Is she going to walk with us this morning?"

"No," Ichigo answered shortly. "She's not feeling quite herself today…"

Without another word, he started off down the sidewalk. Keigo and Mizuiro exchanged curious glances before starting off after him.

"Is she going to be okay?" Keigo asked, sounding concerned. "Will she be at school today?"

Ichigo avoided his gaze, refusing to answer immediately. A strange feeling had started in his stomach he was certain he'd never felt before. It took him a minute to even consider the possibility of it being jealousy.

"She better be…" he said softly.

-----

"Miss Kuchiki," a sharp voice said as the girl entered the classroom. "Nice of you to join us today."

Rukia glanced up at her teacher, the words hardly registering in her spinning mind. Though she'd left very early that morning, she arrived at school well after first period was over.

"I'm sorry…" She muttered, handing over her late slip and moving toward her seat. "I woke up late this morning…"

As she took her seat, she kept her focus on the intricate patterns in the wood of the desk. Ichigo had glanced over at her curiously, but received no look back. Concerned, Keigo turned to face her.

"Are you feeling better, Rukia-chan?" he asked, assuming the doting friend position.

Rukia looked up suddenly, looking confused. "Better? What do you-?"

"Ichigo told us you weren't feeling well this morning," he explained before she could finish asking her question. "We weren't sure if you were going to show up today. I'm certainly glad you did, Rukia-chan. I would have missed you."

Rukia nodded politely, giving a small smile. "Thank you, Asano-kun. I'm sure I would have missed you as well."

Blushing brightly, Keigo winked at her and turned back around in his seat, though not before he gave Ichigo a triumphant look. Only moments later, another voice spoke up.

"How did you know she was sick, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime spoke up, glancing back at Ichigo. "Did you speak with her this morning?"

Rukia could tell that Ichigo was backed into a corner. It wasn't only her head that wasn't working properly that morning. Thinking quickly, she answered for him.

"He passed by my house this morning," Rukia said quickly. "I stopped him and told him to pass on the word. Apparently he forgot to tell those who mattered most." She glared in Ichigo's direction and then nodded toward their teacher had suddenly looked in their direction.

"I do believe you all should be working in your books!" she snapped.

Falling silent, they pulled out their books and began to write furiously. Ichigo looked up as a small folded piece of paper landed in the middle of his book. He glanced over at Rukia who was determinedly focusing on the same page she'd been working on for a good ten minutes.

Unfolding the paper, Ichigo recognized the handwriting immediately. Rukia finally glanced over at him as he looked up at her once again. Slowly, he nodded, glancing back down at the paper.

_We need to talk._

-----

"Talk," Ichigo ordered once the two of them had found themselves alone, hiding among the shaded trees of the nearest park.

"Me?" Rukia asked, folding her arms. "I think _you_ have some explaining to do."

Ichigo glared at her. "You were the one who said that we needed to talk. I assumed there was something _you_ had to say to me."

"There is much I want to say," she replied coolly. "But I think that you should start by explaining what happened last night."

Ichigo fell silent, merely blinking in her direction. Had she had the same dream he'd had? Or was Kon telling the truth when he said that she never returned to the closet, falling asleep beside him instead?

"Why is it I was in your bed?" she asked sharply.

Ichigo shrugged half-heartedly. "I thought you'd be the one to explain that."

"I don't remember a thing," she said defiantly. "You certainly have to, because I didn't get there by accident."

"You kicked me out of it, remember?" he decided to venture, avoiding the dream as much as possible. "You said that you could sleep anywhere you wanted. So you chose my bed. And when you wouldn't get out of it, I decided to torture you and get in as well." He snuffled and rubbed the side of his nose, stuffing his hands back into his pockets.

Rukia nodded. "Yes, that I remember. I had called you a pervert…"

Ichigo sighed. That he remembered as well. On repeated occasions, to be honest.

"But then what happened?" Rukia asked, her eyes flashing.

"Nothing," he answered hastily. "Nothing happened. We fell asleep." He glanced up at her. "Did you want something to happen?"

"No…" she said softly, jerking her head in the other direction. "I just thought that-…"

"Thought that, what?" Ichigo prompted, curious to hear what she had to say. "Nothing happened, Rukia…"

Rukia frowned, starting to pace back and forth. "Then it _was_ a dream, I suppose…" she muttered. "Strange, really…it felt so real. I could have sworn that it-"

"What dream?" Ichigo asked, finally speaking up. "You keep failing to explain what you thought had happened. I'm starting to think you just don't want to tell me."

Rukia shook her head. "It's nothing really," her cheeks turned pink. "Just something I thought had happened. Nothing you'd be interested in hearing…"

Ichigo grinned in a very Ichigo-like fashion, doing his best to play ignorant. "Try me…" he taunted.

"No, really…" she insisted, shaking her head. "It's none of your concern. Just drop it."

He stepped toward her, his voice low and mocking. "Did you have a dirty dream, Miss Rukia Kuchiki?"

Rukia glared at him. "As if that's what you immediately assume!" she gasped.

Ichigo spread his arms wide. "If you're going to continue to call me a pervert, I might as well live up to that name, shouldn't I?"

"You're probably hoping it was something like that, aren't you?" she said heatedly. "A-And secretly, I bet you're hoping it was something about you!"

Ichigo waved his hands innocently, still grinning widely. "I never said anything like that..."

"You didn't have to," Rukia pointed at him. "You implied it! You're only curious because you want to know what I did to you!"

"Oh, so it was about me?" Ichigo feigned surprise. "Tell me, Rukia, what exactly is it that you did to me?"

"Nothing!" she said loudly, turning away from him angrily. "It had nothing to do with you!"

_And it was more of what __you__ did to __me__…_She thought bitterly.

"That's not what you said two seconds ago…" Ichigo taunted. "I seem to recall you saying that it-"

"Would you just drop it?!" she hissed. "It had nothing to do with you, despite how much you might have wanted it to!"

Ichigo stood behind her, his clever look fading quickly. The girl before him huffed silently, muttering angry words to Ichigo in her head. Tentatively, he placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn't glance back at him, although most of her being told her to.

"Rukia…" he said softly.

"What?" Rukia shot at him, turning her head only slightly.

Ichigo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Let's go home…" he decided. "We've got much more to worry about than some stupid dream."

Rukia didn't find anything stupid about the dream, nor did he at the time the 'dream' had taken place. He seemed to have been wanting it just as much as she had, but then again, since when had he been a man to admit any sort of feeling toward anything with a pulse?

Grinning to herself, Rukia nodded as he led her back to the Kurosaki residence.

Lucky for her, she didn't have one.

**A/N:** Oh, clever me, clever me. Hehe. Actually, I have no idea if Rukia has a pulse or not. Technically, she shouldn't because of that whole 'being dead' factor, but her gigai might have one. Pssh. Minor technicality. It was still clever I think. Yep, we might get back to the IchiRuki goodness the next chapter, but I've got a good idea for where this story can go...I had almost completely forgotten about the whole Hollow scene, so I want to build off of the mystery started with that. Throwing IchiRuki scenes in as well, just to feed all of your perverted minds. –smiles- I'm kidding. Those scenes make me happy too.

Anyways, please review you guys. You know the drill. I love hearing from you. And if I don't respond, I'm sorry. I've been crazy busy lately, and don't really have much time. So a major THANK YOU to you all!


	9. The Heat Wave

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately do not own Bleach or any of the related titles. For further information, please see Tite Kubo.

**A/N:** Hey everyone. I've been pretty excited to update this next chapter, because I know it's going to have some things that you guys will enjoy. (No, no lemon yet, but hey, we've gotta start somewhere don't we?) Anyways, please enjoy!

**Chapter 9: The Heat Wave**

The spring was definitely starting to make it's presence known as a sleepy humid air made its way through town. Lazy dogs lay on their owner's front porches, tongues lagging, their tails whipping half-heartedly at the flies that lingered about them. The children that roamed the streets were half-clad, even some in bathing suits, although it was only April.

A sleepy stupor had even made its way into the Kurosaki household, as Ichigo lay splayed across his bed in a desperate attempt to take an afternoon nap. Rukia however, sat in the doorway of the closet, peering out the window curiously. She wore shorts she had stolen from Yuzu along with a very small tank-top, though she still seemed to be sweating profusely.

"It's hot…" she pointed out bluntly.

"Thank you for the update…" Ichigo replied, draping an arm across his eyes as to block the blinding sunlight.

"Why is it so hot?" she asked, still staring out the window. Even the houses seemed to glow with sweat.

"I don't know…" Ichigo said half-heartedly.

Rukia narrowed her eyes in deep thought, though they didn't close once, not even to blink. "Is this normal?"

"Yes," Ichigo rolled over to face the wall. "Happy now?"

Slowly, Rukia stood and made her way over to the window. She had half expected a slight breeze to be blowing through the air, though none came. Frowning, her eyes scanned the town, searching for something else to talk about.

"Ichigo…" she said, glancing toward the direction of the school. "Let's go to the park…"

"It's too hot, Rukia…" he mumbled, yanking the blankets over his head. He was more than annoyed. Why did she have to be so immature?

Rukia turned to face him, cocking an eyebrow in his direction. Stepping toward him, she leaned over the bed, picking up the corner of the blanket to peer at his resting form.

"You make no sense to me, Ichigo…" she said loudly, breaking him from his moment of rest.

Growling, Ichigo rolled over to face her, his eyes gleaming with annoyance. "What? What is it?!"

"You claim it's too hot and yet you continue to hide underneath this blanket of yours," she pointed out. "It makes no sense…"

Ichigo stared at her, making no response. Rukia blinked back at him slowly, waiting for some sort of comeback. Sighing deeply, the boy rolled over once again, hiding his face from hers.

"Just find something to do…" he spat at her. "Go to the park yourself."

"You know I can't go by myself," Rukia said, settling down next to the bed, allowing the blanket to drape over her head. "I don't know the way…"

"Then read…" Ichigo suggested, hoping she would go for it, for he had no other ideas. The heat seemed to be preventing his mind from working properly.

Frowning, Rukia pulled away from the bed, letting the blanket fall back. She returned to her original place in the closet, sighing deeply. She had no intention to read. She had finished all her books, and didn't feel like sneaking into the girls' room again to find another.

"Whoo…" a voice came from beside her. "Who turned the heat up in here?"

Kon scrambled out from underneath Rukia's pillow, wiping his stitched brow with one of his paws. Sitting beside Rukia, he looked over at Ichigo's lump-shaped form on the bed.

"How can he sleep like that?!" he yelped. "Doesn't he know it's a bazillion degrees out here?"

Rukia didn't respond, though she did follow his gaze. A few tufts of orange colored hair peeked out from the top of the blanket, causing her to chuckle lightly. Kon didn't seem to notice her eyes glaze over as she began to slip into a state of nostalgia.

_His hands had slid down her bare sides, his lips making small circles along the pink skin. Her fingers twisted in his hair, pulling him back up to her, then allowing one hand to free itself and wander down his side, tugging at the plaid fabric of his boxers._

_But that had all been different. That was nothing more than a fantasy. There was another time…_

_She knew there was another time…_

_His lips were on hers. She had been jerked to him so suddenly, as though it were all a spur of the moment idea. She had hardly the time to react, only able to pull away for a moment before being crushed back to him, easily giving into the way his lips felt upon hers._

_Her mouth had opened almost instantly once he'd shown signs of wanting entrance. She had never felt herself become so submissive under anyone else. This was different. And although neither would admit to it, this was different than the times before._

_It was real._

"Nee-san?" Kon said loudly, trying to capture Rukia's attention. "Are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" she finally broke her gaze from the bed. "What did you say?"

"The heat is getting to you, Nee-san…" he said, sliding down from the closet. "I'm going to cool off…"

Rukia didn't bother to ask how he planned on doing that, finding herself drifting off once again, her gaze returning to the tufts of hair still sticking out at odd angles.

_The heat…_

_Yes…_

_It's hot._

_It's very hot…_

Rukia didn't notice that she'd crossed to Ichigo's bed until she was leaning over his snuggled form, staring down at him fondly. Breathing deeply, she decided to go for it, crawling onto the bed slowly.

She didn't dare make any moves for a good few minutes, sitting in silence as she thought over what she was going to say once she was caught. Finally, with a few swift moves, Rukia managed to yank the blankets from his face and straddle herself across his stomach with his hands pinned firmly on each side of his head.

"What the he-" Ichigo yelped, having been jerked so suddenly from his sleep.

Rukia stared down at him intently, her eyes burning with a strange look Ichigo was certain he'd never seen before. It took him a moment to realize the position he was in, and a moment longer for him to lose it once again.

"What the hell is going on?!" he asked, struggling with her tight grip on his wrists.

"I need to talk to you," she said firmly.

"Then talk to me!" he hissed. "Don't take me captive!"

"Ichigo, this is serious…" she said, glaring at him.

"I'm serious, too!" he growled through gritted teeth. "Get offa me!"

"Ichigo…" Rukia's eyes seemed to be boring into his, her gaze never wavering. "Look at me…"

"I _am_ looking at you!" he continued to struggle with her, finding it strange that she had suddenly acquired such amazing strength.

"What do you see?" she asked.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he stared at her as though she were insane. "What do I see? I see you! A pain-in-the-ass midget, who just doesn't seem to understand the idea of personal space."

Rukia gripped his wrists tightly. "You're not taking this seriously!"

"I don't know what you want me to say, Rukia!" he shot at her loudly. "Is this some kind of interrogation or something? Couldn't you ask me this from a seat? Why are you sitting on me?"

"Tell me to get off…" she ordered.

"Get off!" he snarled.

"Throw me off…" she continued.

"Don't make me do that," Ichigo warned.

"If you want me to get off you, go ahead, and make me get off you!" her voice had grown loud, and neither of them seemed to care that Ichigo's father could very possibly hear every word of their conversation.

Ichigo didn't move. "I don't want to hurt you! _Move!_"

Rukia stared at him, suddenly growing silent. Her face relaxed a bit, and the furious glare in her eyes had disappeared. "You don't want me to move, do you?" she asked softly.

"What?!" he yelped, glaring up at her. "What are you talking about? I just told you-"

"If you wanted me to move, then you'd make me move," Rukia said matter-of-factly. "You've done it before, so what makes now any different? Go ahead, Ichigo. Throw me across the room. You know I won't care. I'm telling you to do it."

"Rukia, what is this about?" he asked, finding the whole situation confusing. Why was she on top of him in the first place? He couldn't say that he actually wanted her to be there, but he couldn't say he wanted her to leave either.

"It's about the other day!" she said finally, easing the grip she had on his wrists. "You know just as well as I do that that was no dream…"

Ichigo jerked his gaze away from her, the tips of his ears growing red. "I don't know what you're talking about…"

Rukia wrenched one hand away from his and took his chin between her fingers to force him to look up at her. His eyes suddenly held the same flare Rukia's had only moments before, however, he didn't appear angry.

"I-I was talking about _this_…" Rukia replied, bringing her lips to his suddenly.

Ichigo didn't move as Rukia kissed him, her lips moving against his roughly as she tried to get him to respond, to do _something_, other than just lay there.

His free hand finally made its way down the side of her face, cupping the back of her neck to pull her closer to him. She felt a strange moan creep up the back of her throat as Ichigo began to respond, pushing her mouth open. She could feel his tongue flickering over her lips and was about to give in when-

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Rukia sat up quickly, glaring in the direction of the closet. Ichigo watched as she hurried across the room to pick up the small beeper-like contraption that alerted them whenever there was a Hollow attack.

_Of course there'd be a Hollow right now…_Rukia thought bitterly, finding it impossible to look back over at Ichigo who had fallen back to his original position, a hand held firmly to his forehead as though he could hardly believe what he was just doing.

"There's a Hollow on the other side of town…" Rukia said, breaking the heavy awkward silence that had fallen between them. "A big one…"

Ichigo nodded, still staring at the ceiling. Sighing, Rukia rushed over to him, grabbing him by the arm and helping him to his feet. He seemed to come to his senses once Rukia had repeated herself. Slipping on her glove, Rukia gave a sharp blow to Ichigo's chest, letting his body fall back onto the bed. She hastily threw the blanket over him and pushed Ichigo toward the window.

"GO!" she shouted, following closely.

As the two ran down the street as fast as they could, they couldn't help but exchange furtive glances every so often. It was clear they were both embarrassed about what had happened, but slightly relieved that something was out in the open.

At least, a bit of something. No matter if they weren't entirely sure what that _something_ was.

They had taken a step forward. A step they'd been to stubborn to allow before, but this time put their egos aside for a single moment of weakness. It was them. All them.

After all, the heat could only be blamed for so much.

**A/N:** Hey, yeah, see, it wasn't much, but trust me, how can they deny anything at this point? So we can only progress from here, right? Hehe. Anyways, tell me what you think and I hope to update rather soon! Thanks!


	10. The Experiment

**Disclaimer:** I disclaim everything!

**A/N:** Hey everyone. Sorry for the length of time between updates. I've been camping without internet connection for the past week or so, with only a few moments of internet in between here and there (which explains for some of the other story updates). But I'm back now, so I will be updating regularly, hopefully.

Anyways, here's the next chapter, which should…sorta feed your need for IchiRuki-ness. Enjoy.

**Chapter 10: The Experiment**

Rukia returned to Ichigo's room after a more than successful Hollow defeat. Ichigo had decided to take a short detour on the way home to clear his head, one would assume. He still seemed flustered about the events of the morning, and Rukia couldn't blame him. He would come around soon enough.

Climbing through the window, she landed on the hardwood of the floor with a rough 'thump'. Rubbing the sore spot, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Laying still on the bed was Ichigo's discarded body.

Rukia got to her feet hesitantly, glancing back out the window for signs of Ichigo's return. She couldn't help it if she was curious, and even so, would Ichigo ever know?

She settled herself on the edge of the bed, her hands resting in her lap as though she were frightened to touch him. How much could his soul form still feel? Would he know that she was doing this? She hoped not as she slowly began to pull back the covers.

Rukia brought her lips to his, kissing the immobile Ichigo gently. She frowned, her mouth still upon his, finding it displeasing to not have his hand at the back of her neck, or the gentle motions of his lips moving against her own.

Shifting herself she straddled him once again, pushing his mouth open to let her tongue pass through his lips. She moaned gently as though she were expecting some sort of reaction. When there was no response, she decided to give up.

She pulled away, huffing in an irritated fashion. It wasn't long, however, before her curiosity took over once again and her fingers found the edge of his shirt. She'd only seen him without his shirt on a few occasions outside of her frequently occurring dreams, and had never really permission to look, so this was more than the perfect opportunity to see how accurate her dreams had been.

She peeked underneath the fabric, giggling a bit to herself. It was even better than her dreams. For a boy of sixteen, Ichigo was more than in shape. In fact, he was more in shape than many of the other Soul Reapers in the Soul Society and she couldn't help the faint pink blush that started across her cheeks as she stared at the bare skin.

Unable to help herself, Rukia's attention focused on a place a bit lower than his chiseled stomach. She slipped off of him to lie down beside him. Biting her lip to hold back the nervous giggle, she rest her hand at the top of his jeans, releasing the button that held them closed. A moment later, she took the zipper gently and began to-

"Don't even think about it…"

Rukia leapt to her feet, whipping toward the sound of the voice. Ichigo stood by the window, watching her with his arms crossed. The tips of his ears had gone quite red, and he looked more than embarrassed.

As if it would cover up what she'd done, she tossed the blanket back over him hastily, trying to compose herself.

"You're back…" Rukia said quickly, doing her best to sound perfectly normal. "I-I thought you were going for a walk…"

"I was…" he said, moving toward the bed, causing her to back toward her closet. "Then, I felt something strange. Like someone was kissing me, but…not quite me…" His eyes locked onto her. "Your doing I suppose?"

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Rukia said defiantly. "Why the hell would I be kissing you?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow and glanced back down at his lead-like body. Rukia turned red and jerked her head in the other direction.

"Who knows what else you managed to do before I got here…" he taunted, sitting down on the bed. A moment later he had returned to his body, blinking slowly. "I feel like I've been more than violated…"

"I didn't do anything…" Rukia insisted. "Not that I'd want to anyway."

Ichigo opened his mouth to retort, but stopped abruptly glancing down at his slightly opened pants. His face turned even redder than before as he quickly re-buttoned them and pulled the blanket over his waist.

"A few things beg to differ…" he muttered, hoping Rukia wouldn't hear him.

Unfortunately she did and she couldn't help but feel even more embarrassed about her actions, though there happened to be a part of her that felt a bit triumphant. It was more than obvious that Ichigo was feeling a bit…_excited_ about Rukia's little experiment.

"No more doing that, you hear me?!" he shot at her, keeping his blankets firmly in place. "No more exploring my body without me here, got it?!"

Rukia smirked, stepping toward him as seductively as she could manage. "So I can explore your body where you _are_ here?"

"What?" Ichigo yelped, realizing what he'd just said. "N-No! I-I didn't mean it like that! You pervert! W-Why would you even want to-Ah! Don't answer that!"

Rukia chuckled to herself, feeling her embarrassment subsiding as she moved back toward her closet. Ichigo was embarrassed enough for the both of them, and now she could merely enjoy watching him suffer.

"You want me to, admit it…" Rukia slid open the door to her closet, settling herself down on the edge of her mattress, kicking her feet playfully as she glanced back over at him. "It makes you all warm and fuzzy to think of me looking at you…"

"Shut up!" Ichigo growled. "I don't know where the hell you got that idea, but it's not true! I don't want you looking at me-"

"You're hot for me…" Rukia joked, running her hands slowly through her raven-colored locks. She could see Ichigo twitch a bit, shaking his head furiously.

"N-No!" he said through gritted teeth. "Dammit, would you just drop it? I am not hot for you! I'm not even attracted to you! You're nothing but this annoying midget who happens to live in my closet. Why the hell would I be attracted to something like that?!"

Rukia fell silent for a moment, letting him feel as though he won before speaking up again. "Your dreams seem to say different…"

Ichigo gave out an angry yell, tossing the blankets aside to face her entirely. "I don't know what you're-!"

"'Oh Rukia…don't….that tickles…oh-oh…'" She grinned at him triumphantly, her voice soft and almost moaning.

In what seemed to be less than a second flat, Ichigo was before her, his hand clenched tightly around the front of her shirt, pulling her face to his.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ichigo seethed. "But wherever you're getting these ideas…it's…it's gotta stop…"

Rukia stared back at him, suddenly dropping her joking manner. She placed her hands over Ichigo's. "Well then, Ichigo…" she breathed deeply, looking up at him intently. "Stop."

Ichigo couldn't help himself. She was looking at him like that and, argh, it was just so frustrating. He didn't know what else to do. Before he knew it, his lips were on hers again and she was pressing herself against him. The tight feeling he'd felt in his pelvic region as soon as he'd reentered his body had returned almost immediately. Why the hell was this happening to him? It was so different.

Pulling away, Rukia panted lightly. "I don't believe this is stopping, Ichigo…" she whispered.

"Shut up…" he muttered back, kissing her deeply. He let his fingers run through her hair, resting at the back of her neck, as though he were holding her in place. Rukia smirked against his lips, relishing the fact that they were responding this time.

Carefully, she pulled him into the closet with him, letting him hover above her, his lips still locked onto hers. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, humming contentedly.

"Nee-san! Nee-san, check this out! Nee-" Kon's voice sounded throughout the room, breaking the two apart.

Ichigo muttered angrily, immediately pulling himself off of Rukia, though not daring to exit the closet for fear of Kon getting the _right_ impression. Rukia knocked Ichigo to the back of the closet, taking her place in the doorway.

"Yes, Kon?" she asked breathily, brushing her messy bangs out of her eyes.

Kon stared at her, his eyes narrowing. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked.

"Yes…" Ichigo growled underneath his breath.

"No-No…" Rukia said hastily, punching Ichigo's knee, the closest part of him to her. "I was napping, that's all."

Kon didn't look quite convinced, but he shook his head. "No matter, lemme come up and show you what I found in that girl's room…"

Rukia panicked, moving closer to the edge of her mattress. "That's alright Kon…you don't have to. Just show me from there."

Kon froze, glancing up at her once again. "Are you sure you're okay, Nee-san? You're acting funny…"

"I-It's just a mess up here and I was tidying it up before I fell asleep…" she said hastily. "I just don't want to ruin any of my progress, I'm sorry."

Kon bought the story, which was lucky for them, because Ichigo nearly snorted at its ridiculousness. "Very well then…" he held out a small doll's dress. "Do you see this?"

"Pink…" Ichigo snickered into Rukia's ear, peeking out as much as he could. "Matches nicely with his fur."

Rukia couldn't elbow him, or she would have in a heartbeat. "It's…very nice, Kon…" she said slowly. "What is it for?"

"He's going to wear it to the ball…" Ichigo replied quietly. "C'mon, Rukia, you're a bright girl, couldn't you figure that one out on your own?"

"Did I hear something?" Kon asked, stepping forward. "Is Ichigo around?" he glanced around the room as though he'd only just realized that the boy wasn't there.

"No," Rukia answered quickly. "No, he went out for a walk with his friends. I think they said something about going to the park. I-I wasn't really interested." She shook her head, changing the subject back to the item of clothing in his hand. "About the dress, now…what is it for?"

"Oh…" Kon held it up once again. "I think they're planning on putting me in this! You gotta do something!" his eyes were wide and fearful. "They got a whole stock in there! This was the only one I could get. Hide it and I'm going back to get more!"

He tossed the dress at her and hurried back off toward the door. Rukia glanced down at the small piece of fabric in her hands before turning back to Ichigo, throwing it in his face.

"You almost got us caught!" she hissed. "What if he'd seen you?"

"I think he was more preoccupied with this…" Ichigo said, holding up the dress to look it over. "I don't think he would have noticed if we were both naked."

Rukia slapped his arm rather hard, knocking the dress out of his hands. "That's terrible. If he'd have seen you, he would have yelled, your father would have come running and we would have been found out. You're terribly reckless, have I ever told you that?"

She slipped out of the closet and onto the floor, moving away from him. Ichigo wasn't far behind her as he pulled his large form out of the cramped space.

"And have I ever told you how incredibly bi-polar you are?!" Ichigo shot back, brushing off a bit of dust from his shirt. "Only moments ago you were all over me and now you're railing me out!"

"All over you!?" Rukia turned back to face him, an incredulous look painted across her face. "_I_ was all over _you_? Excuse me, _who_ initiated it this time? I don't believe I had any say in the matter!"

Ichigo sputtered. "Y-You wanted me to do it! You're the one who pulled me in _there_-" he jerked his hand back at the closet. "With you! This is all your fault! If you hadn't kissed me in the first place, things would have been normal!"

"If you'd remember correctly," Rukia pointed an accusing finger in his direction. "You were the one who kissed me first, actually! I even tried to pull away and you wouldn't let me! Do you remember that?"

Ichigo glanced away. "I told you, that was a dream."

"A dream?" Rukia laughed in disbelief. "I can't believe you. A _dream_. A dream that we both happened to have at the exact same time?"

Even to Ichigo it sounded absurd, but he wasn't about to admit it. "Yes…" he answered resolutely.

Rukia shook her head. "You are impossible, Ichigo Kurosaki. Absolutely impossible."

She stormed back to the closet, climbing inside. Ichigo watched as she reached for the door, not moving from his spot as he fumed.

"_I'm_ the one who's impossible?" Ichigo spat after her. "You're the one who can't seem to make up her mind! You-"

He wasn't allowed to finish his sentence before the door to the closet was slammed shut. Sighing deeply, Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck, glaring at something he couldn't even see himself.

Settling back down on his bed, he tried to calm the swarm of thoughts swimming around in his head. He growled to himself, finding it impossible to do so, and flopped back onto the bed. As he closed his eyes in an attempt to fall asleep, he decided that he would deal with her and her conflicting feelings in the morning.

He only hoped that his own wouldn't haunt him in his dreams.

**A/N:** Hmm…I'm thinking maybe something bigger in the next chapter? Maybe? Kehehe. I think I have an idea on how it's going to play out too, and I can't wait to see how it works. So, look forward to that. –winks-

Thank you to you all who have reviewed so far. I'm going to work on replying to all future reviews from now on. Lately, I just haven't the time to do so. So, please tell me what you think, and I pray that I'll get back to you! Thanks again!


	11. The Hollow Hill

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles!

**A/N:** Hey there everyone! I apologize for the long delay. As I've said in the A/Ns of the other stories I've updated recently, I've been incredibly busy lately. In the past couple of months, I've had to apply to a crap-load of colleges, put together a musical, audition for several plays/concerts/choirs, perform in a couple concerts, do all my school work, work, and manage to retain a healthy relationship with my boyfriend. (For those of you out there experiencing the same craziness...I am SO sorry. It's absolute madness!) So please enjoy this next chapter. It's a bit longer than usual, but I feel like you guys deserve it. Thank you so much for being patient.

**Chapter 11: The Hollow Hill**

The soft afternoon breeze felt good after a long day at school, especially after the incredible heat wave they'd been having. News reports had begun to announce that it was passing, but Rukia was convinced it was only gone temporarily. Summer was coming and the heat wave would be back.

Ichigo had completely ignored her during their classes, and after their little spat the day before, she wasn't particularly paying attention to him either. Keigo had been the first to notice, as the two were determinedly looking away from each other for a good amount of the time, an occurrence that had become increasingly rare over the past couple of weeks. Their sudden change in disposition was not to go unnoticed.

"Hey Ichigo," he had said, turning around in his seat to peer at him. "What's going on with you and Rukia-chan? Did the two of you get into a fight or something?"

"What?" Ichigo asked, his eyes finally leaving the tree branch outside the classroom. He had been studying the different kinds of birds that had landed on it during the last half hour intently, and hadn't heard a single word his teacher had said during the last part of their math lesson.

"You and Rukia," Keigo jerked his head toward the now empty seat. "You've both been acting strange. Did she break up with you?"

"Break up with me?" Ichigo yelped. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Kurosaki!" a sharp voice sounded from the front of the room. "Asano! It doesn't sound like much studying is going on back there. Is there something you'd like to share with the class?"

"No Ma'am," Keigo answered hastily, waving his hand at her absently, a move most improper.

She stared at him for a moment, noticing how Ichigo had begun to write in the workbook in front of him as though he were ignoring Ichigo. She was certain Keigo wouldn't be able to keep his attention for long either, for she'd noticed his odd temperament as well. Along with Rukia Kuchiki, who had strangely disappeared after lunch, claiming she wasn't feeling well.

"Well," Keigo continued, dropping his voice low so only Ichigo could hear him. "What's going on then? You two are acting weird and I wanna know what's up." He looked determined to pester Ichigo until he cracked.

Ichigo shook his head, jotting down a small 5 under the third problem on the page. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said bluntly. "I'm ignoring her like I'd do any other day. I see nothing different about it."

Keigo placed his hand over problem four before Ichigo could even consider starting it. "That's not what I meant. You're ignoring her on _purpose_. Usually, you just do it casually, and lately, not even at all. But now, it's like you can't even look at each other without cringing. That's why I asked if you broke up or something. I know she's been staying with you and al-"

"Shh!" Ichigo hissed, looking as though he were tempted to punch Keigo in the face. "I told you not to mention that. She's not staying with me because she's my _girlfriend_! She's staying with me because she needed help and my Father is a complete and utter woman stuck in a man's body!"

He hadn't realized how loud he was being until the sharp voice returned, this time only addressing him. "Kurosaki! Stop distracting Asano and get back to your work!"

Ichigo nodded and focused on the page, now cleared of Keigo's hand, who still refused to turn back around in his seat. Ichigo feared he wasn't going to until he heard the truth, which, in fact, Ichigo _never_ planned on telling anyone. He was still trying his best not to believe it himself.

"It's nothing," Ichigo insisted, keeping his voice as low as possible, a definite red tint to the tips of his ears. "We had a small disagreement on something and she had to blow it all out of proportion. Now I'd much rather not dealing with her. That's all."

"What was the disagreement about?"

Ichigo cringed. Keigo was _not_ going to let the subject go. "It's none of your business!" Ichigo shot at him angrily. "That's between us, now turn around and butt out!"

Keigo didn't need telling twice. The pencil held in Ichigo's fist looked as though it were about to shatter into a million pieces, and Keigo would much that not happen to his nose. Sighing deeply, Ichigo was relieved to see Keigo turn back around in his chair to busy himself with his own workbook. Glancing up at the clock, he frowned, his eyes falling back to the empty desk beside him.

Rukia had been gone for an awful long time. Where the hell had she gone?

On top of the hill where she could often be found thinking, Rukia had found herself spread-eagle across the grass, her back pressed firmly against the hard, water-deprived ground. Only a few clouds seemed to be passing overhead, which left her to her own thoughts with nothing to distract her.

Sadly, Ichigo was the only thing on her mind. She was skipping class to be away from him, but the whole point of skipping class seemed to be having a backward affect on her. The further she was from him, the more she thought about him, and the more, to her complete and utter despair, she wanted to be closer to him.

She missed the smell of him. She missed the feeling of him so very close to her. She missed the sound of his voice as he whispered to him. In short, she missed Ichigo.

And it had been less than 24 hours since she'd last seen him.

Hell, it'd been less than an hour.

It certainly seemed longer than that though, Rukia thought as she brought herself to a sitting position. How odd time had been acting, especially for her lately. It seemed to speed up and slow down as though emphasizing the more important parts of her life. Unfortunately, it was her favorite parts that seemed to go by the fastest, and she wasn't used to this. She was still adjusting to this human world.

She glanced at the small beeper she hid in her pocket and sighed. This was one of those times where she wished time would go fast, but no matter what she did, it seemed to drag on as slow as it could possibly manage.

_Okay, let's try thinking of good things,_ she suggested to herself. _Perhaps that'll help pass the time..._

Several images immediately started flashing before her eyes. The night Ichigo had first kissed her, so very sudden and with more passion than she'd ever experienced before in her life, even in the spirit world. Then her little experiment while he was out of his body, where she had almost managed to remove his pants. Almost. And then the time in the closet...

_Goodness, that was only yesterday..._

She fell back into the grass, a pain starting to grow in the back of her head where it had made contact with the hard dirt. It was starting to grow hot again, this time in a way she couldn't possibly enjoy. The sun was beating down on her, blinding her as it rose right above the hill, causing her to shield her face with her hands.

Such an action only led to more thoughts to come flooding back.

She thought of the times they fought alongside each other. Those times always went by fast as well, for they were always on the brink of death, and time itself could be taken away in less than an instant. One could die even, and hardly know with time moving as it was during those scenarios.

Her mind focused on one of their very last Hollow attacks, the one where the Hollow had spoken her surname. She hadn't thought about it again until now, and suddenly, the thought struck her very odd. How on earth had a Hollow known who she was? It wasn't like she made it a point to converse with Hollows frequently.

Had the Hollow once been a spirit she was friendly with? She racked her memory to find someone she'd lost, or someone she'd once known who might have mysteriously disappeared one day. Perhaps it was a friend from her childhood, or perhaps a student from one of her classes. Maybe even a brief acquaintance she'd met in the village...

But she could think of no one. She rarely forgot, and faces were something she'd tended to remember. Faces. She always studied faces, for even if a name were gone, she'd still picture the face.

But the Hollow, the face of the Hollow didn't even look remotely familiar. They never did, _usually_, but on occasion one would carry the same air as the person they once were, or even slightly resemble their once semi-human form.

This one did neither, however. It was in no way, shape, or form familiar to the poor Shinigami and the voice had begun to echo through her head like it were some kind of empty cavern. If she didn't figure it out soon, it would surely drive her absolutely mad. She would need help, though, for she couldn't place the voice on her own. She'd need someone else who witnessed it, who could place the Hollow if ever seen again.

Unfortunately, the only witness would be Ichigo, and she and Ichigo were no longer speaking. She'd forgotten about that for a minute.

Once again, time was working it's magic on her. It was funny the things she started to forget in this gigai.

Or perhaps it was the things she didn't _wish_ to remember. Perhaps it wasn't time at all playing tricks on her. Perhaps all this forgetting stuff had been self-induced all along.

Whatever the reason, she couldn't just ignore the arguments they had to burst into the classroom, ranting about some over-sized creature that half the bodies in the room had never even come close to imaging before in their lives. She'd be looked at like some kind of three-headed monster. And she certainly couldn't waltz into Ichigo's room doing the very same thing. She'd probably receive a worse welcome.

"Kuchiki..." Rukia found herself trying to mimic the voice, her attempt coming out more than pathetic as she sighed deeply, her hand falling across her eyes once again.

'_Kuchiki..'._

_That voice..._

'_Kuchiki...'_

_I know it..._she insisted, the pieces beginning to fall into place as she let herself slip from the gigai, feeling a bit more like her spiritual, shinigamic self once again.

_I know I do..._

_But from where?_

* * *

"Rukia?" a loud voice called out. "Rukia, where are you?"

"Nee-saaaan," a voice joined the first. "Nee-saaaaaan, come out come out wherever you aaaare!"

Rukia stirred, finding herself rather confused. She was unbelievably cold, and the environment around her was dark and unfamiliar, unlike the voices she'd heard calling out to her. Those she recognized, though in such a situation, she could hardly determine whether they were real or not.

"Rukia?" the first voice called out once more. "Rukia, where the hell are you? I swear to God when I find you, I'm gonna-"

"Nee-san!" the second voice sounded alert, as though it had spotted something. It took Rukia a moment to realize that that something was actually her, as the small plush toy launched himself at her, holding her as close as he possibly could. "Nee-san, you're so very cold. What are you doing out here? Did he kick you out of your closet? I thought I had heard the two of you arguing. Do I need to kick his as-"

Kon was talking very fast and Rukia, still half asleep, couldn't deal with him at that moment. She was rather thankful as the stuffed animal was wrenched from her and suspended in the air by a bony hand a couple feet in front of her.

"Get up," the first voice ordered bluntly. "What the hell are you doing out here on your own anyway?"

Rukia looked up to see the familiar face that had been haunting her dreams for the last, oh dear, what time was it? She pulled the beeper out of her pocket and gasped. She'd been asleep for nearly 9 hours. Not only was she certain she'd never been able to sleep that much in her life, she was certain she'd caused concern, for more than just Ichigo most likely. The school would be wondering where she'd disappeared off to and this time, she didn't know if she'd be able to get herself out of it. She wouldn't have Ichigo on her side to back her up.

"Fell asleep..." Rukia answered sleepily, rising to her feet although she was still quite unsteady. "Didn't mean to. Just happened. You do it all the time, why can't I every once and a while?"

Ichigo stared at her as she began to stumble in the direction of the Kurosaki residence, Kon still writhing in his clenched fist. He seemed determined to go after his beloved Nee-san.

"Why'd you leave school?" Ichigo asked, hurrying after her, though it wasn't hard for him to catch up. "Everyone was worried about you."

Rukia rolled her eyes. She was right. Once again, she'd caused more trouble and concern than she'd originally intended. All she had wanted was to get some fresh air, and then she'd return to school for last period. She had never expected to fall asleep like that, and he was making it out to seem like she had done it on purpose.

"Look, I'm sorry," Rukia said, though she didn't sound truly sorry, for she wasn't. It was an accident. Things like that happened. "I'm sorry for worrying them. You can tell them all that I'm fine in the morning."

"No," Ichigo said bluntly. "You're going to tell them you're fine in the morning. I want nothing to do with this. You're going to face all them on your own, and what's worse, is you're going to have to face the school and tell them where you went. I'm not covering for you this time."

Once again, she was correct. She'd pissed him off just enough to lose her alibi for the rest of forever. She wouldn't be able to leave school randomly, for whatever reason, ever again. So much for that.

Ichigo frowned, an awkward silence falling between them. "What _were _you doing out here?"

"Thinking," she answered honestly. She saw no point in lying to him.

"About?" he asked, slightly fearing the answer, for he was quite certain he knew what it was.

"A Hollow," she said, catching him off guard.

"A Hollow?" Ichigo yelped. "Was there an alert? Why didn't you come find me? Did you have to fight it on your own? What the hell were you thinking? You could have killed yourself-"

Rukia shook her head, trying her best not to laugh. "No Hollow. I'm not _that_ thick..." she said. As Ichigo opened his mouth to retort with some smart-ass comeback, she held up a hand to silence him. "No matter what kind of argument we get into, I'm not about to go after a Hollow by myself. That's suicide. Not only for myself, but you as well. Without me, you'd kill yourself out there."

Ichigo looked offended, his eyebrows furrowing as he glanced down at her, still ignoring the squirming furball in his hand. "Excuse me, I-"

"No," Rukia shook her head. "We already finished off this particular Hollow. It still bothers me though. I've been thinking about it all afternoon."

Ichigo's eyebrows crinkled even more, this time in confusion. "Now, which Hollow would that be? We've faced quite a few of them. How could you possibly remember just _one_?"

"This one knew my name," Rukia said, as though he should have been able to read her mind, knowing exactly the situation he was thinking about. "I'm curious to know why, and even more so, why."

Ichigo eyed her suspiciously. "Why is this bothering you all of a sudden? That Hollow was a while ago."

"Not that long ago," she said pointedly. "But it doesn't matter, it still bothers me. Wouldn't it bother you?"

"I wouldn't let it bother me," Ichigo said defiantly, looking away from her, focusing on something ahead of them Rukia couldn't quite place.

She shook her head. "I don't care whether you think it would bother you or not, because the fact of the matter is that it bothers me, and since you're the only witness to the event, you're going to have to help me."

"And if I don't want to..." he started slowly.

"No choice," Rukia said, her eyes flashing dangerously. He would be a fool to refuse to help at this point. "I've pulled up enough memory to make an educated guess, but I'm going to need more help than just you."

"I'll help you, Nee-san!" Kon called out from his position swinging absently at Ichigo's side. "Whatever this great git can't do, I sure can. Just tell me what I have to do and I'll-"

Ichigo squeezed him tightly, receiving a sharp squeal from the small toy. Ignoring it, Ichigo looked back at her, curious to see who could possibly do a better job than he could. If she suggested that weird Hat-n-Clogs dude, he would be making it quite clear he wanted no part of whatever "clever" scheme that crazy man came up with.

"Who?" he finally asked as Rukia had set her own focus ahead, deliberately ignoring both of the men walking beside her as she usually did when the two were bickering for attention.

It took her a moment to respond, but as she did, a small grin spread across her lips. She no longer appeared sleepy as she had only moments before, a strange new glow shining along with the moonlight in her eyes.

"Renji..."

**A/N:** So here we are. At the end of another chapter. I can guarantee that it will NOT take me another four or so months to update again. I am SO incredibly sorry for taking so long, but you guys are absolutely AMAZING and I love you all so very very much for staying faithful! I hope you liked this chapter and I hope to hear from all of you very soon!


	12. Never Happened

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles. All credit goes to Tite Kubo.

**A/N:** Hey guys…so, I'm gonna keep this short and sweet. I apologize for keeping you waiting for this and I promise, promise, promise I won't do it again! You guys have been so patient and I appreciate that so much. So thank you, and enjoy the next chapter!

**Chapter 12: Never Happened**

"What am I doing here?" Renji asked, plopping down onto Ichigo's bed, his arms folded across his broad chest. His eyes were following Ichigo as he paced back and forth behind Rukia, clearly quite frustrated with her choice of help.

"I need your help," Rukia said bluntly.

"Well," Renji scoffed. "That's more than obvious…"

Rukia stared at him seriously, no need to glance over her shoulder to see what Renji was glaring at. "This has nothing to do with Ichigo…" she clarified. "He would help me if he could, but unfortunately, I had to call for assistance from the other side…"

Renji's focus finally snapped onto hers as he cringed a bit. "_Unfortunately?_" he asked, not taking too well to the major ego blow.

Rukia sighed. "That's not what I meant…" she tried to explain.

"If my help is such a bother to you," he moved to rise. "Then perhaps I'll just leave…"

"Renji, sit!" Rukia ordered.

Despite his large size, especially in comparison to Rukia's form, he immediately returned to his seat as though he were some kind of lapdog. Ichigo snorted as this very mental image passed through his mind.

"Something funny, Kurosaki?" Renji shot at him.

"Aside from your face," Ichigo shrugged and brushed the side of his nose absently. "Nope, not really."

Renji opened his mouth to retort, but Rukia stood between the two of them. "Stop acting like children, you two! We have a serious issue at hand and I can't handle it alone, so you're going to have to suck it up and work together for a little while. Is that clear?"

The boys stared at her, wide-eyed at her outburst. They weren't unfamiliar with these commands from her, but they were still easy to forget when one looked at her tiny size.

"Yes, ma'am…" they answered in unison.

"Good," she said, heaving a sigh. Her eyes focused back onto Renji. "We had a little incident not too long ago, that's left me a bit…shaken up…"

"An…_incident?_" Renji's gaze had once again fallen to Ichigo, as though he were certain it had all been his fault.

"Involving a Hollow…" Rukia continued.

"Oh," his face fell. "Of course it did…"

Rukia stared at him for a moment, not daring to ask what kind of incident he'd been imagining in that twisted head of his. Especially when she was certain he was thinking about Ichigo again.

"Do we know of any…Soul Reapers who may have become Hollows?" she asked, trying to keep this whole thing on track. "Someone who may recognize me?"

"Anyone would recognize you," Renji stated matter-of-factly. "Whether you knew them or not. You're part of the royal Kuchiki family, and therefore everyone knows who you are…"

"But would they address me in battle, is what I'm asking," she pressed on. "If they merely recognized me as a member of the Kuchiki family, they wouldn't bother to point it out with their dying breath would they?"

"You're asking me to think like a deranged Hollow?" Renji raised a tattooed eyebrow and shook his head. "I think you'd be better off having Kurosaki doing that for you…"

"Hey!" Ichigo snapped. Renji had definitely touched a nerve with that one.

"Could it have been someone you worked with, Nee-san?" a small voice came from the floor.

Kon was sitting beside Rukia's chair, trying desperately in vain to climb up to her lap. Slowly, she picked him up and sat him on her knee, where he seemed to look instantly comfortable.

"That's what I'm thinking…but the only person I can think about is…" she started slowly.

"Kaien…" Renji finished for her, a bitter look of dismay passing across his face for a moment, quickly replaced by a stony blank look.

Rukia nodded and cleared her throat, suddenly very choked up. "But…but it couldn't be him…I would know if it was Kaien, and it wasn't so…there's no worries…" she continued to mutter to herself. "Kaien's gone…I know it wasn't him…"

Ichigo stared at her, then glanced over at Renji, worry starting to creep into his throat. "Smooth move, Abarai…" Ichigo said, bitterly.

He stepped forward to place his hand on Rukia's shoulder, but decided that would be a bad idea, for he didn't want Renji to catch wind of what had been going on between the two of them in the past couple of days.

Not that anything _was_ going on! Anymore, at least. The Soul Society just didn't need to _assume_ anything. Keeping it on the down-low would be their best bet.

Kon turned and began to pat Rukia's arm sympathetically, glaring back at Renji. How dare he hurt his Nee-san?

"But there could be others," Renji said quickly, realizing that Ichigo was right, and he shouldn't have brought Kaien up like that. "Others you might not remember. I mean, even if you don't remember them, they might still remember you. You're a pretty memorable person…"

Ichigo nearly threw up. Was Renji trying to flatter her? Was this some sick form of flirting Renji thought would win Rukia over?

"It's…possible," Rukia said, finally starting to collect herself. She seemed to become horribly aware of the way she let her emotions get the best of her and turned bright red. "It just struck me odd, is all. I shouldn't have let it get to me like that. We may never know who it was."

"But what if there are more of them out there?" Ichigo spoke up, the sudden thought striking him. "I mean, more Hollows with Soul Reaper pasts. That Soul Reaper would be somewhere still inside them…wouldn't it?"

Rukia shook her head. "Not likely…"

"Really?" he looked back and forth between Rukia and Renji. "You don't think that somewhere, perhaps very very deep down, the Soul Reaper memory remains?"

Renji appeared to be thinking about it. It didn't seem likely, but not entirely impossible. Since Hollows typically retained partial human form and clearly some memory, it was very possible an ex-Soul Reaper, now turned Hollow, might remember that fact. But what help was that to them?

"Why would it even matter if they could remember that?" he asked.

"Because, perhaps we could influence them…" Ichigo explained. "Instead of following others, they'd remember their past and work for us instead…"

"Keep dreamin', kid…" Renji said, turning his head away.

"No, Ichigo…" Rukia shook her head. "It could never work that way. We could never satisfy the needs of the Hollows, and therefore we could never even consider a pact with them. Not to mention our inability to control them in masses. A single Soul Reaper can dare take on a Hollow, but several at once? It's suicide."

"Then do we just drop this?" Ichigo asked, staring at Rukia who had turned in her chair to look at him. "Do we pretend you never heard that voice and that the Hollows don't know who you are?"

Rukia didn't answer him. She wouldn't be able to forget it. She knew she wouldn't. Her once erotic dreams were now turned into nightmares by the haunting voice she'd heard that afternoon, and quite frankly, it didn't seem to be fading anytime fast.

"What if they start coming after you?" Ichigo continued. "What if that Hollow wasn't a Soul Reaper after all, but an enemy of the Kuchiki family, and now that you've gotten rid of him, the others will come after you now…"

"That's not how Hollows work, Ichigo…" Rukia said, shaking her head once again.

"How do _you_ know?" he asked, starting to pace again. "Have you ever talked to a Hollow about it? How do you know they can't think for themselves? Or that they don't have someone ordering them on whom to attack? What if there's a group of them out there who are all out to get you?"

"Now you're just being paranoid…" Rukia gave him a look that said quite plainly that he was acting a bit ridiculous.

"Hollows won't specifically…do that…" Renji said, siding with Rukia on this one. As if that was some great surprise. "They wouldn't all go after one Soul Reaper, just 'cause…"

"But if they had a reason," Ichigo insisted. "If they had a reason to go after the very person who would kill them without a second thought, they would, wouldn't they?"

Renji rose from the bed and stretched, rubbing the back of his neck. "I dunno, Kurosaki…the next time I have tea and crumpets with a Hollow, I'll ask and get back to you…"

He started toward the door, stopping suddenly only when Rukia decided to speak again. "You know…he might have a point…"

Renji whirled around. "You're kidding me…you mean, you actually believe this could be possible…"

"Hollows have gone after Soul Reapers before," Rukia pointed out. "The situation is not unheard of at all."

"But an entire group of them?" Renji shook his head. "That's absurd. They can't all have the same focus. _That_ is unheard of."

"Speak with the others, Renji…" Rukia turned to him. "Please. And find out if such a situation is possible, and if there's been rumor of it happening. If they say no, ask if there is a record somewhere of ex-Soul Reapers who could have potentially become Hollows and report back to me as soon as you can."

"You're giving me orders now?" Renji scoffed and crossed his arms once again.

"I'm asking you as a friend, Renji…" Rukia looked serious. "I've never asked you for much, and this time, I really need you…so, please help me Renji?"

If anyone could manage to melt Renji's stone cold heart, it was Rukia. She had a way of getting to him like nobody else could. That was perhaps due to the fact that she'd always been there for him, when no one else had.

He nodded shortly. "Yeah…sure…"

Rukia sighed heavily and nodded. "Thank you…"

Renji grunted softly and headed toward the window. "Don't mention it…" he muttered, swinging a leg over the sill. "Take care of yourself Rukia…"

Rukia waved weakly as Renji disappeared onto the lawn below. The room was silent for a while before anyone dared to speak. Kon had curled up on Rukia's lap, and she had forgotten about him entirely until she stood and he squeaked loudly as he hit the floor with a 'flump'.

"Oww…Nee-san!" he cried out, rubbing his head with a plushy paw.

"Do you think he'll follow through?" Ichigo asked as Rukia moved toward her closet.

"I don't see why he wouldn't…" Rukia replied, shrugging slightly. "It's not a hard task for him to follow through with. And it won't take long either. He should…should be able to…" her voice began to falter.

"Not to mention he seems to be madly in love with you…" Ichigo added off-handedly.

"What?!" Rukia yelped, whirling around to face him. "Excuse me?"

Ichigo shrugged, crossing his arms stubbornly. "Seems like it, doesn't it?"

Rukia eyed him dangerously. "I don't know what you're talking about. Renji and I are just friends. That's all we've ever been, and that's all we'll ever be. Got it?" She stared at him.

"If you say so…" Ichigo sniffed and marched toward his bed.

"Are you…jealous?" Rukia asked, watching him slowly.

"Yeah, you wish…" he replied bitterly.

Rukia turned to her closet slowly. "You're the one who brought it up…"

Ichigo's hand stopped the closet door from opening suddenly, staring down at her. "Let's get this straight, midget…" he said, trying to sound threatening. "There's nothing going on between the two of us. Whatever happened before was a complete mistake, and I'd appreciate it if you'd pretend it never happened…"

Rukia stared back at him, her eyes completely devoid of emotion. "Fine…if that's what you want, I'll pretend it never happened…"

**A/N:** I hope you guys liked it! I'll be updating pretty soon, so don't worry! Thanks again for being so patient and you'll hear from me very soon!


	13. Unwanted And Unhelpful Help

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles.

**A/N:** …I'm tired. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy. Zzzzzzz….

**Chapter 13: Unwanted (And Unhelpful) Help**

"He doesn't want me to help you, does he?"

Renji jumped onto a nearby bench and leapt off the back, as if he were trying to impress an audience. Rukia watched him, clearly not as impressed as he'd hoped she'd be. Ichigo had no idea she had met up with Renji shortly after he'd left the Kurosaki residence, nor did she ever have the intention to tell him.

"I wouldn't put it like that…" Rukia answered slowly, moving past the bench without a second glance back at him.

Renji hurried after her, rubbing the back of his neck, as he caught up. "How would you put it then?" he asked. "He doesn't want me to be in this world? He doesn't want me to exist? He wishes I'd jump off a cliff?"

Rukia nodded. "All of those would be much more accurate."

Renji shook his head, "Well, the feelings are mutual. I'm only here for one reason, and I think it's best he know that."

Rukia couldn't look at him. "I'm sure he already knows that…" she responded. "In fact, I think that's the reason he feels that way toward you…"

Renji eyed her curiously, finding it odd how fast she seemed to be walking. She had been the one asking him to meet her here anyway. Now it seemed like she was trying to shake him off. He hadn't said something wrong, had he?

"So, are you going to tell me what's going on with the two of you or am I gonna have to get it out of you some other way…" he finally asked, catching up with her. "And mind you, the other way won't be very pleasant."

"There's nothing going on," Rukia replied, still refusing to look at him. She wasn't lying entirely. Didn't they just decide they were pretending nothing ever happened? "I don't know why anyone would think something was going on. We merely work together."

"But he won't help you with this?" Renji continued. "Did you get into a fight or something?"

"He's tried helping with this," Rukia explained. "If…well, if you consider telling me not to worry about it, helping…"

"He doesn't think that Hollow has any connection to you?" he had finally caught up with her entirely.

"No," she responded a tad bitterly. How could he think such a thing? If there was no connection, the Hollow would not have uttered her name in it's very last seconds of existance.

"Moron…" Renji spat, shoving his hands into his pockets. "You said this Hollow spoke your name?"

Rukia nodded.

"Then how could be possibly think that?" Renji thought the idea compltely absurd. "If he spoke your name, then obviously he knew who you were and-"

"I know…" Rukia cut him off suddenly, sighing heavily. "I know. I was thinking the very same thing."

Renji fell silent for a moment, looking as though he were thinking the whole thing over. Rukia hoped he was thinking of potential Soul Reapers who may have become Hollows over time, but that proved to be the furthest thought from his mind as he finally opened his mouth once again.

"So…you think he's afraid?"

"Who? Ichigo or the Hollow?" Rukia asked, starting to get annoyed with her red-headed companion. He was proving to be less help than she had expected.

"You know who I'm talking about," Renji pressed on. "And now that I'm around, and actually going to help you, he's even more afraid. Not only is there a whacked out Hollow somewhere…an old friend is stealing his precious Rukia's attention…"

Rukia turned abruptly, grabbing the front of Renji's shirt as his back was pinned firmly against the nearest tree. She was remarkably hostile for a woman her size. "I asked you here to help me…not to steal my attention…" She raised an eyebrow threateningly, managing to instill fear into her dear friend. "Are you going to help me, or what?"

Renji stared back at her, unsure of how to respond. When he didn't say anything, she finally let him down and brushed the wrinkles from her blouse.

"Thank you…" she said softly, regaining her fast pace. "Now, in order for you to help me, you're going to have to do some thinking…" she shot a sideways glance at him. "I know that may be difficult for you, but I'm sure you've managed much worse."

Renji looked insulted, though he kept his mouth sealed shut. He wasn't in the mood to deal with the wrath of Rukia Kuchiki at the moment, 

especially after he'd already had a taste of it, only a few minutes into their meeting.

"And there's another thing…" she said matter-of-factly, this time refusing to look at him, for she knew he was going to like this command far less than the one before.

"Yes, master?" Renji asked mockingly.

"You're going to have to work with Ichigo…" she told him. "And I don't wanna hear a peep from the either of you until this whole thing has blown over, you got it?"

The dangerous glint had returned to her eyes as he caught them out of the corner of his own. She was serious. She was dead serious. And if they didn't behave, they were going to be just that.

Dead.

* * *

"A Hollow recognized her?"

Byakuya moved across the room, shaking his head, listening to the news he'd just received. Renji had gone to aid her, although Byakuya had advised against it adamently. Apparently the affections of Rukia meant more to him than those of his Captain.

"Yes…" an officer said, standing in the doorway of Byakuya's office. "Or so that's what has been reported to me…"

"Do we have any idea who this Hollow is?" Byakuya asked, standing before his window, peering out at the action outside. It was a beautiful day. He shouldn't be worrying about such meddlesome things as Hollows at the moment. His sister could deal with her own problems. What was it to him?

"No, sir…" the officer continued. "Abarai has failed to report anything else. Unfortunately, I believe they are still working alongside the Kurosaki boy…"

Byakuya tensed. He was not fond of the boy, nor did he appreciate his growing power. He was yet another problem he would have to deal with at a later time. The weather was much to beautiful to have that on his mind as well.

"And Rukia?" he asked shortly. "She is safe?"

"The Hollow was destroyed, and your sister is fine," the officer reported. "But, she seems quite peeved by the whole thing. I believe she feels there may be more out there who know of her."

"She's a Kuchiki…they all know of her…" Byakuya responded harshly.

"Y-Yes," the man stammered. "But, she believes they're all after her. Or you, even. The Kuchiki family…" He opened his mouth to say more, but closed it suddenly, as though thinking better of it.

"Speak," Byakuya ordered. "There is more you wish to say."

The man was frightened. Byakuya had not turned around. How had he known he had more to say.

"I fear I should not," he said quietly. "It is not my place, sir…" he bowed shortly as if he had already committed some kind of offense to the Captain.

Byakuya turned his head only a little, but did not look back at the officer. He did not have to utter a single word to get the point across that the man had no other choice but to speak or suffer the consequences.

"Perhaps he is linked to…your wife, sir…" he bowed his head again, fearing the blow that was expected to come with such an assumption.

Byakuya finally turned, his eyes blazing at the thought, though he did not attack. Instead, he stared at the officer for a while, remaining tightlipped and unblinking.

"Forgive me, sir…" the officer only peeked up for a moment to see the Captain staring back at him. He winced as though the glare were hot as coals. "It was not my place…"

"There is no connection," Byakuya finally said shortly.

The officer looked up to see that Byakuya had turned back to the window. He knew that he'd been asked to leave, although the command had not been spoken. The Captain now required his peace.

As the door shut, Byakuya breathed heavily. It was such a beautiful day before. But now, with the thought of his wife bearing on his mind, it might as well have been raining.

* * *

"Nee-san?"

Rukia looked up from her drawings. Kon was making his way out of the closet, peering around to see if they had anymore company. He seemed more than pleased to discover that they were entirely alone.

"Nee-san, can I talk to you?" he scuttled over toward her chair and peered up at her.

Sighing, clearly overly exhausted from everything, she picked him up and placed him onto the desk next to her papers. He made himself cozy rather quickly and smiled up at her, for a moment forgetting what he had called out to her for.

"Yes, Kon?" she asked, breaking him from his slight trance.

"Why is it you're so worried about this Hollow thing?" he asked, looking down at the rather terrible drawings and diagrams she'd been working on. Even Kon, who was madly in love with everything Rukia related, admitted her drawings were rather wretched.

"This Hollow thing, could very well be linked to something bigger…" she pointed out a bunch of lines that looked like some kind of lopsided spiderweb on the top paper. "Something dangerous…"

"But isn't he dead now?" he asked, not even bothering to try and figure out the network she'd come up with. "They'll never get whatever information they would have found helpful…"

"But if he was destroyed, they'll know, generally, where I'm located…" she explained. "Therefore putting a giant target on my back…"

"Oh my poor Nee-san…" Kon moved closer and patted her hand softly. "I see how trying this has been on you. If you ever need someone to talk to, remember, I am always here for you…"

"Thanks Kon," she replied offhandedly. "I'll keep that in mind, but I think I'll be alright. I've got two big boys looking out for me now." She rolled her eyes at the thought of the two of them fighting each other more than fighting the enemy.

Kon looked around, suddenly looking very curious. "What good are bodyguards when they aren't even around to protect my precious Nee-san?" he asked. "If I had that job, I wouldn't let you leave my sight. Nuh-uh. Not for one second."

Rukia smiled weakly at his failed attempt to be valiant and noble. "Renji can't stick around here too much. The family might notice if there's another boy up here. I'm quiet, but I can't say much for Vice-Captain Abarai."

"And Ichigo? He left you here…all alone…even though that big red brute might come back and have his way with you?" Kon turned back to look at her. "You know, I never trusted him. You might wanna keep an eye on him. He's up to something, and I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna like what it is."

"Don't worry about me, Kon…" she said softly, taking him into her arms. "I promise. Ichigo is outside with his sisters. Father's commands."

She carried Kon over to the window where Ichigo could be seen down below, watching over her sisters as they played. She was certain he was supposed to be playing _with_ them, but Ichigo was much too good for that. Even his Father knew that. It was surprise enough he agreed to go outside.

Then again, it was a rather beautiful day. She sighed as she envied the lucky girls below, silently. If only she could go outside as they could.

If only she were normal. Then perhaps she could have the boy standing next to them as well. But unfortunately for Rukia, she knew that normal was far beyond her reach, and as for Ichigo, he seemed to be more than long gone.

**A/N:** Zzzzzzzzzzz…


	14. No Luck

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles.

**A/N:** Hey guys! I am so sorry for the delay in updating. I've been going through a lot, more than I can even begin to explain right now, but please understand that I am sorry, and I am picking these stories back up, so there will be updates and they will be frequent, so be on the look out for them. Thank you all for being soooo patient. I really appreciate it, like you don't even know. And I really hope you all enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 14: No Luck**

"Did I lose you back there?" Renji taunted as he and Ichigo flew through the air. The two had been instructed to do as much research as they could about reported Hollows and their potential connection to the Kuchiki family. Although Ichigo had been determined to stay behind, he wasn't ready to give Renji all the credit, granted he found anything upon his return to the Soul Society.

Ichigo grit his teeth, keeping his eyes focused forward, instead of on the bright red hair of his companion. As much as he wanted to, he wasn't going to let himself swoop down and grab a nearby tree branch and whack Renji upside the head with it. Even if the bastard deserved it.

"Come on, come on, we haven't got all day…" Renji continued to badger him, even though he wasn't looking back at Ichigo. For all he knew, he could have been long gone. Renji wouldn't have complained, however. If Ichigo bailed on their mission, it would give Rukia more reason to be mad at him, and therefore, he would get all the glory for it. Attention from Rukia was nice.

"AGH!"

Without warning, Renji felt something come in contact with his face, something in the confines of his nasal cavity cracking loudly. His hand flew to his nose, stopping the blood flow as much as possible as he came to a halt in mid-air.

"What the hell was that?!" he called out, before realizing that Ichigo had sped past him, his left leg extended to its full length, hinting that he'd just kicked Renji in the face. "You bastard! What was that for?"

Ichigo grinned and glanced back at him. "Careful, there was some kind of speed bump back there. Oh…" he feigned shock. "Did you run into something, Abarai?"

Renji roared after him, the two dodging each other as they took swings as often as possible. When they finally arrived, they landed with nearly fifty feet between them. Renji had stopped his nose from bleeding but that didn't stop the death glares he continued to shoot at his orange-haired rival.

"What next, Kurosaki…" Renji asked, his hands resting on his hips.

Ichigo whirled around to face him. "What do you mean, 'what next'? How am I supposed to know where we go to research the stuff?"

Renji laughed harshly, moving forward. Ichigo had no choice but to follow him. He wasn't sure where they were going, and for a while, Ichigo had a sneaking suspicion Renji may have been leading him on a wild goose chase. He almost had half a mind to go off on his own and find someone he could trust. Anyone other than Renji.

"Don't worry, Kurosaki," Renji said, noticing the look on Ichigo's face. "I'm not doing this for you, so there'd be no point in me wasting time. I want to help Rukia, and my Captain. They're in this together, you know." The look on his face had suddenly gone serious. "Rukia's not the only one."

Ichigo didn't respond. He hadn't really thought about the fact that the Hollow could have been after all the Kuchikis. Rukia wasn't the only one left. He'd been being incredibly selfish all along for refusing to help her. She had every reason to hate him now and he realized that.

"Bet you didn't think about that, now did you?" Renji added, approaching the entrance to his Captain's quarters. He knocked on the door sharply and glanced at Ichigo for only a moment before the door opened.

"Yes?" a voice came from inside.

Byakuya Kuchiki stood in the doorway, staring at them curiously, though they couldn't entirely tell this from his facial expression, which never seemed to change. Renji stepped forward, clearing his throat to break the silence.

"Captain, I need to speak to you about the Hollow…" he explained. "The one that Rukia's been concerned about."

Byakuya stared at his Vice-Captain for a moment before moving to close the door. Renji held out his hand quickly to stop it, stepping closer to him.

"She's certain there's something going on," he continued. "She thinks there's a group of them out there who might be after all of you. Well, rather, the two of you. She's not so worried about herself, but you, because you're not taking it seriously…"

Byakuya's eyes flashed dangerously, and Renji knew he had crossed a line. Assuming what Byakuya was thinking and then using said assumptions against him was completely unheard of. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, admitting silently that he'd said something wrong.

"Is there anyone out there who'd have it out for your family?" Ichigo spoke up, not letting Byakuya get away that easily.

Byakuya turned, his focus going back and forth between the two men before him. His eyes narrowed a bit and his brow furrowed as he finally locked his eyes onto Renji once more, his voice lower than it had been a moment before.

"What is he doing here?" he almost growled.

Renji averted his gaze and cleared his throat once again, unsure of what to say that would convince Byakuya that it was in Ichigo's best intentions to be there. "He…" he started hesitantly. "Captain, he wants to help."

Byakuya glanced at Ichigo again, his eyes holding nothing more than disbelief. Seeing he had nothing more to lose, Ichigo stepped forward.

"I was there at the time," he said, stepping toward the doorway. "I saw the Hollow and I heard his voice. I could give you, or anyone who'd be able to help us, a description of him. Or, if you believe there's anyone who'd be up to something like this, I could help figure out which sounds most correct."

Byakuya stared at him for a minute before shaking his head. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can help you with. I can't think of anyone who would be after me or my sister. I'm afraid that she might just be jumping to foolish conclusions again. I wouldn't think anything of it. Stop wasting your, and my, time."

And with that, the door snapped shut. Ichigo nearly threw himself at the door, suddenly realizing what it meant to Rukia to figure this out. Byakuya didn't care, and if he wasn't going to do something about it, one of them was going to ultimately end up getting hurt. At this rate, Rukia was the easier target.

Ichigo wasn't about to let that happen.

He turned around suddenly, marching back toward the city, trying to think of anyone who could help them. There had to be someone in the Soul Society who knew as much about the Kuchikis as they did themselves, or at least those who may have associated themselves with them.

"Ichigo…" Renji called out after the boy. "Where do you think you're going?"

Ichigo didn't turn around. "I'm going to figure out what the hell is going on before something happens to Rukia…"

Renji raced after him, a sudden thought struck him. It was the most selfless thing he'd thought in a long time, and he hoped Ichigo would take advantage of it.

"Listen, stop!"

Ichigo came to a sudden halt and turned a bit to look back at him. "What?" he asked shortly, clearly annoyed that his mission was being delayed.

Renji panted slightly before speaking, looking incredibly torn between helping Ichigo and helping himself. He shook his head and sighed. "Go to Rukia…" he said.

Ichigo stared at him, quite confused. "What?"

"Go to Rukia, dammit…" Renji insisted, his voice rising in volume with every word. "If they're coming after her, you shouldn't leave her there by herself. I'll have plenty of help from the people around here. As long as I don't tell them the Captain's against it, they should help me. We don't need you just yet."

Ichigo continued to stare at him, at a complete loss for words. He couldn't help but think Renji was just trying to make it look like he chickened out so he could get all the glory.

Why the hell were they so alike!?

"Or you could stay here," Renji brought himself to full height, appearing quite frustrated. "And help people who don't really need your help, while Rukia's alone in the human world, still walking around with a giant target on her back. If something happened to her while you were here with your nose buried in a bunch of books, how would you feel?"

He hated to admit it, but Renji was beginning to understand how Ichigo worked. He knew there was something going on between him and Rukia and was at a point where he couldn't do anything about it anymore. He had to be the bigger person, both literally and figuratively.

"I'll stay here," he said finally, with a tone that told Ichigo quite clearly he didn't have any other choice. "And you're going to go back and help Rukia."

Ichigo stood in silence for a moment, before nodding shortly. "Thank you," he brought himself to say. "And…good luck."

It was one of the most sportsman-like things he'd ever said, and ever would say, to Renji and for a moment he thought about taking it back and replacing it with some kind of smart-ass remark. Instead, he nodded again and waved shortly, heading back toward the human world without another word.

-----

Renji had been right, and the whole way home, Ichigo couldn't stop thinking about it. First of all, Renji had been right, which was a first in his book, and second of all, something could be happening to Rukia and he wouldn't have any clue. If he returned home to find her in pieces, he didn't know what he'd do. He couldn't handle seeing something like that.

He landed outside his house, holding his breath. Glancing up at his bedroom window, he only hoped she would be in there waiting for him. As much as the anticipation was killing him, he couldn't make himself move. He didn't want to look back inside. How had he been so careless?

If it did turn out that everything was okay, he needed to tell her everything. He needed to apologize for being such an ass, and he needed to tell her how much he cared about her. It wasn't going to be easy, he knew that; he had an image to uphold after all, but when you're faced with something like this, he no longer gave a shit. She had the right to know. If something happened to her, and she didn't know what he was thinking, how he felt, any of that – if something happened, he'd never be able to live with himself.

And on top of that, Renji would be right about another thing!

Finally, he gathered enough courage to leap up to his windowsill, closing his eyes as he came to a landing. Opening them slowly, he felt all the air suddenly escape from his lungs; the sight before him something he hadn't been expecting.

Rukia was still alive. She was alive, and breathing, as much as a shinigami in a gigai could be. She was sitting on his bed, as if she were waiting for something, her eyes focused on the thing laying beside her.

For a moment, Ichigo didn't even recognize his own body. Lacing her fingers with his numb, lifeless ones, Rukia kept her focus on Ichigo's discarded body, her eyes filled with a strange longing he'd never really seen her use toward him before.

She was waiting for him. She wasn't waiting for Renji, or anyone else in the world. She'd been waiting for him.

A faint blush creeping into his cheeks, Ichigo cleared his throat loudly, catching her attention. Rukia leapt to her feet, dropping his hand quickly. Her embarrassment gleamed upon her own blushing cheeks for only a moment, before her anger returned.

"How long have you been standing there!?" she yelped, her eyes narrowing with accusation.

"Long enough…" Ichigo said, keeping his cool as he hopped down onto his bedroom floor. "Having fun, were you?"

"I-" Rukia opened her mouth to retort, but shut it quickly, realizing she really had no excuse for her actions. "No. I just got back, actually…" she said hastily. "I thought you were sleeping…"

"So you like to hold my hand while I sleep?" he asked, grinning evilly. He was determined to get her to admit something before he did, thus saving his tough guy persona. All thoughts about Renji and his guilt trip had quickly fled from his mind.

"I have no idea what you're talking about…" Rukia said sharply, turning toward her closet. She knew she could hide in there for a while. At least until Ichigo was done picking on her for what he'd seen.

He followed her slowly, not bothering to return to his normal body. He was enjoying teasing her way too much. "Oh I think you do…" he taunted. "Is there something you'd like to admit to me, Miss Kuchiki?"

"Where's Renji?" she asked suddenly, changing the subject to something she knew would hit a nerve. "I thought he'd be coming back with you."

Ichigo wasn't going to let her get away with it that quickly. "I don't think so," he said. "You're not getting any answers until I do, so if you wanna know where your precious Renji is, you'll have to start explaining your actions…"

Rukia turned to stare at him, her eyes flashing as dangerously as her brother's had earlier, only this time, Ichigo didn't feel he had to look away. This time, it was a challenge, and the first person to look away had to admit their true feelings. Ichigo wasn't about to lose. He couldn't.

"Oh come on," Rukia finally broke, crossing her arms stubbornly. "You know you loved it…"

Ichigo hadn't seen that one coming. "In your dreams, sweetie…" he responded coolly.

"Oh yeah?" Rukia rose her eyebrows, challenging him without actually calling him out on it.

"Yeah…" he nodded, crossing his arms as well. He could be just as stubborn as she was and he was bound to prove it.

Rukia grinned and started back toward the bed. "Oh?" she sat down next to his body and very gently began tracing her fingers up his chest. "So, in that case, this does absolutely nothing to you, right?"

Ichigo froze, his eyes growing a bit wider. What the hell was she going to do?

"And this…" she leaned over his mouth, "I can do this and you won't care at all…" Her lips met with his in what would have been an incredibly passionate kiss had he been able to respond.

Ichigo was immediately embarrassed by the fact that he was jealous of his immobile self, and even more so by the fact he wasn't going to be able to control himself for much longer. Watching her caused something in his lower half to grow tense, even as in his shinigami form. He couldn't let her just do that to him without him having a little fun in return.

The look on Rukia's face when his lips begn to respond would have been priceless had Ichigo opened his eyes instead of kissing her even deeper. As she began to pull away, realizing he had returned to his body, he pulled her closer.

"You lose…" she muttered, finally letting a tiny grin dance across her lips.

Ichigo couldn't help but smile back at her, loving the feeling of her body against his once again. It was a feeling he'd missed while they were fighting. "I don't mind losing…" he said quietly. "If it means I get to lose like this…"

As he leaned toward her once again, a loud beeping noise went off somewhere inside Rukia's closet. Ichigo froze and glared in the direction of the noise, clenching his fists. Rukia was just as annoyed as he was, but hid it a little better than he did.

"It never fails…" Ichigo muttered as Rukia dashed over to grab her little phone. "Every single time we get a moment alone, there's a-"

"There's a Hollow," Rukia looked up quickly, grabbing her glove. "And that's not our only problem…"

Ichigo got to his feet, bracing himself for the physical blow he knew he was about to receive. In his mind he was already making a list of all the things Rukia owed him when they returned from this.

"Yeah?" he asked offhandedly. "What's that?"

Rukia bit her lip, her eyes locking with his. "There are three of them."

**A/N:** Alrighty, so there was a little Ichi-Ruki-ness at the end there. I'm sorry it's not a lot, but there will be more in the near future. I promise. You guys deserve it, so be on the look out for that as well. Anyway, I'll update as soon as possible, I promise. Once again, thank you all for being so understanding and so patient. I love you all!


	15. The Streets

-1**Disclaimer:** As much as I would like to, I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles, I'm afraid.

**A/N:** Surpriiiiiise. I'm baaaaa-aaaack. I'm so very very sorry for taking so long to update. You would not even begin to believe the kind of year I've had so far, so I'm going to avoid the whole bit where I explain it to you and completely waste your time, so you can get right onto the chapter. I have a lot more free time now, so I'm going to be writing much more often. I've got to get the creative juices flowing somehow! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Thank you all for being so patient with me!

**Chapter 15: The Streets**

"Holy shit!" Ichigo yelled, coming to a sudden halt as the two of them raced toward the source of the Hollows. Rukia had been at his heels, her eyes just as wide when she saw the destruction in front of them.

Several buildings lay in what appeared to be tangled ruins. Terrified citizens tore past them as they continued to stand in horror, invisible to the world. Screams were muffled by the sound of another building toppling over. A news reporter stood nearby, eagerly speaking to the camera.

"It is complete chaos downtown today, as the buildings behind me appear to be spontaneously combusting. Rumors are flying that it is a premeditated act of terrorism among our own people. There is much belief that these explosions will continue to happen all over town-"

"Move!"

Rukia launched herself at the woman, knocking her over, and out of the way of a sweeping Hollow arm. The cameraman jumped backward, clearly stunned by the action before him.

"Sh-Sheila are you alright?" he asked, peering around his camera.

"Just a tremor," she said, getting to her feet, looking around for the source of the "tremor". "Let's get out of here…"

Rukia arose from the surrounding debris, eyeing the retreating newswoman bitterly. "Stupid humans…" she muttered.

"Rukia, look out!"

Ichigo flew forward, unleashing his zapaku-to, colliding with the great tail of the second Hollow. Rukia leapt onto the head of the Hollow as Ichigo held him off, struggling to keep her balance. A deep crack had formed in the bony skull of a helmet he bore.

"Going for a ride?" the Hollow growled maliciously, taking no second glance at the man before him. Instead he reached a large, what looked like scaly, hand around his neck, searching for the girl who'd mounted him. "Let's see how long you'll last on this bronco, little lady…"

Without warning, the Hollow reared to full height, whipping his head back as roughly as possible in an attempt to relieve himself of his parasite. Rukia, however, was not easily removed. She had latched herself onto a hole in the bone as she attempted to get closer to the large crack.

"Ichigo!" she yelled to her partner, looking up just in time to notice a second Hollow joining her own.

"What have we got here?" he asked, plucking Rukia from the first Hollow's head. "I think we found what we were looking for. Hello there little Kuchiki…" He pushed a large clawed finger toward her face in what would have been a sentimental gesture had he not been a hundred or so feet tall and merely holding her by her robe.

"Is that who was on me?" The first Hollow turned to see who'd dared to take him on. He laughed loudly, the sound echoing through the now deserted city, nearly causing another nearby building to collapse. "Hey, get over here and check this out, the little Kuchiki walked right into our hands…"

The Third Hollow, who'd been busying himself with the debris of the following building turned toward the sound of their voices. As his head appeared, it became clear to Ichigo that this Hollow had no eyes. No holes were in his skull of a head either, to even signify the presence of eyeballs.

"Fools," he muttered, taking a swing at a leaning building next to him. It crashed about his feet, the glass and metal crunching beneath his giant toes as he moved toward his comrades. "She's not the only one here. There's another one. I can sense it."

"Another one what?" the First Hollow whipped around, his eyes searching for the sign of another being. "Another Kuchiki?"

"Another Shinigami, you moron…" the Third spat. "She would be a fool to come alone."

"I have come alone!" Rukia finally spoke.

The three of them turned their direction back to the small figure in the Second's hand. They had almost forgotten she was even there. Ichigo cringed, realizing he didn't have much time before he'd have to do something in order to save her. Three Hollows though, really? He wasn't exactly prepared to do this kind of thing on his own.

"What's that, sweetheart?" Number Two brought her up to his eyes, his wide smile giving way to what looked like a giant purple tongue. "Did you say something?"

"I said," Rukia cleared her throat defiantly. "I came here alone."

"Well, well, well…" the First said, moving closer to her. "That was awful foolish of you, Kuchiki. Why on Earth would you do a thing like that?"

"Did you really think you could take us all on, all by your lonesome?" Two laughed, shortly joined by the First. The Third, however, remained unconvinced and un-amused by their captive. Before she could speak again, he had already begun to run his hands along the standing buildings, as though searching for something.

"Need a hand?" mocked The First.

Number Two turned around to see what their friend was doing. He laughed roughly, holding a hand to his face. "No, wait-wait! I got it! I _see_ his problem!"

"I get it!" roared The First. "See! 'Cause…cause he's blind as a bat!"

The two Hollows doubled over with laughter, almost forgetting what they'd been there to do in the first place. Rukia couldn't see Ichigo from what she could tell from her height. She worried, for a minute, that he'd been buried under one of the fallen buildings.

Without warning, a large crack erupted throughout the debris, shaking up the dust as it echoed off the remaining walls. Number Two fell silent as his fingers suddenly released the girl in their grasp.

"Hey - Hey," Number One realized that he was the only one still laughing. "Something wrong? Was it really not that funny?"

"I told you!" Number Three whirled around at the sound, his large nostrils gleaming in the sunlight. "I could smell another one!"

Number Two seemed paralyzed as Ichigo appeared, his zanpaku-to in hand, prepared to take another whack at his enemy. Number One roared loudly, noticing the orange-haired shinigami. His scaly hand grazed Ichigo's right shoulder, nearly taking him out.

Ichigo raced toward Number One, knowing that he'd be able to face each of them alone, if he distracted them individually. It wasn't long before another loud crack sounded, followed by a strangled roar. The Second faded quickly and a bloodied Rukia took his place. Ichigo was relieved to see her in living condition, however, he didn't have long to relish the moment. The First had reached for him once again.

"Rukia!" he yelled, dodging a large scaled foot The First had aimed at his head. "Get the blind one! I'll take care of this guy!"

Rukia nodded and stumbled a bit as she hurried off toward the third Hollow, who appeared to be sniffing around wildly for her presence. He froze as her faint scent wafted through his bony nostrils and he grinned.

"Come to see me, Princess?" he said calmly.

Rukia didn't respond. Although she was sure he could smell her, she wanted to throw him off as much as possible by being as silent as she could. Surprise attacks were the best when it came to Hollows. That was something she'd certainly learned over the years.

"Strange," he continued. "You were awfully talkative while you were with my friends. Do you not like me, Princess?"

She still refused to speaking, though staying quiet wasn't going to be an easy task. The fall had caused something terrible to happen to her shoulder, and her nose was bleeding something fierce. Each step was growing more and more difficult to stay balanced.

"That's alright, Princess…" he said, not moving an inch. "You never were quite fond of me, although I always took a great interest in you."

Rukia froze. A loud crack from behind her told her that Ichigo had made contact with the skull of The First, although the loud yell that followed was clearly Ichigo's. She turned only slightly, just in time to see him crumple to the ground in a heap. For a moment, she considered running to his side, but as he stood, she knew he'd be able to handle himself. He'd had worse injuries before.

"How do you know who I am?" Rukia finally asked, curious as to what the Hollow before her was talking about. He didn't seem at all interested in capturing her. In fact, he hadn't even tried sniffing out for her since she'd moved.

He laughed quietly, the sound echoing in the skull darkly. "Who doesn't know who you are, Princess?"

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Rukia asked, her hands beginning to shake. She wanted to know who this man was. Had she known him while he was alive? Was he all a part of the group after her?

The Hollow didn't respond. Instead he continued to smile. A second crack sounded, followed by the same strangled yell that Two had emitted when defeated. Ichigo had finished him off, and began to make his way over to Rukia, curious as to why she hadn't begun fighting him.

"Do I know you?" she asked, realizing he had no answer for her first question.

"You might," he replied. "I was never quite sure if you knew my name. Oh, but I knew yours, Princess. Did I know yours."

His voice reflected that of one remembering an old flame. She was frightened by it, knowing that old flames weren't exactly something she was rife with. Perhaps the man before her had worked for her brother, somewhere in the palace.

"Rukia…" Ichigo's breathless voice sounded from behind her. "What's going on?"

Rukia didn't answer him. "Why are you after me?" she directed another question at the Hollow. She couldn't help but wonder if she was finally going to get some answers from him. If he respected her, then perhaps he wouldn't capture her. Perhaps she could truly get a Hollow on her side.

"Ah, that would be revealing the plan, now wouldn't it, Princess?" he responded, finally taking a deep breath through his large nostrils. "The Boss wouldn't like that, no sir. I'm afraid you'll have to ask him that question."

"I'm asking _you_ that question, Hollow!" she said sharply, exerting some of her royal authority for once. "In fact, I'm _ordering_ you to tell me."

The Hollow laughed once more, unable to get his answer out. Ichigo moved to strike, but Rukia through out her arm to stop him. She wasn't going to let him get away with that easily. She wanted answers, and by God, she was going to get them.

"Oh Princess, you could always make me laugh…" he said finally, "You always -"

Another loud crack, though this time it came from neither of the shinigami standing before him. Number Three froze and a faint wailing noise began to emit from his mouth. In moments, he'd vanished into thin air, revealing a floating man behind him. His long zanpaku-to gave him away instantly.

"Renji!"

Rukia fumed as the red-haired man flew toward them, a stern, but gloating look upon his face. Ichigo didn't seem to understand why Rukia hadn't already attempted to attack the Hollow herself. Had she not been strong enough? Had her fall affected her ability to fight?

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked, nearly hitting him as he approached them.

"What the hell do you think _you_ were doing?" he retorted. "We panicked. The Hollows hadn't disappeared and it seemed like they'd gotten you. That's why I was sent here. To save your sorry ass."

"We were doing just fine, thank you," Rukia responded, rubbing her wounded arm. "Until you came along. I was just about to get some answers."

"Answers?" Renji asked, looking quite confused.

"Yes, Renji, answers," she said. "You know, to why we're being tracked by Hollows. Does any of this ring a bell to you?"

Renji didn't respond immediately. He turned a little, breathing deeply through his nose before deciding to speak again.

"Your brother wants to see you."

Rukia had not been expecting that. Ichigo appeared to be just as stunned by the request. Renji made no clarification as to if he was to be joining them on this meeting as well. Instead, he avoided both their gazes and continued on with his message.

"You're to report to him immediately. I was sent to retrieve you. That's why I'm here."

Rukia didn't understand. Her brother hardly ever said two words to her, and from what she had heard, he didn't want much to do with the investigation so far. So his sudden interest bothered her.

"Did he say why?" she asked.

Renji shook his head, still avoiding looking at either of them. "He just said it's an emergency." His head turned toward them sharply, his eyes gleaming. "I think someone's been killed…"

**A/N:** Dun dun daaaaaa. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are still interested in seeing where this story goes, because things are going to start unraveling soon, and yes, soon, very soon, things are going to get pretty hot. Just a heads up. Haha. Anyway, tell me what you all think, and I'll be updating as soon as possible. This time for real!


	16. Instructions

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles.

**A/N:** Hello there everyone! If any of you follow any of my other stories, you've already heard the explanation of my long disappearance, therefore I'm not going to write it out again. I've been incredibly busy with everything ever, and could not find the time to write my fics. However, I am on vacation right now, and I'm determined to update as often as possible. (Something's got to keep me sane, right?) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. And I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

**Chapter 16: Instructions**

Ichigo had not been instructed to return with them, though he showed no intention to stay behind, especially if it meant Rukia was going somewhere alone with Renji. He wasn't about to let something like that happen right before his eyes. Rukia, however, seemed rather reluctant to return to her brother, especially under such conditions. Her mind reeled with the different possibilities when it came to a fallen officer. It could have been anyone. It was strange Renji had no more information to offer them. It made the trip back a long and awkward silent one.

Their feet hit the cold stone of the palace walls, echoing down the hall. Renji led the way to Byakuya's office, with Rukia close behind. Ichigo didn't appear to be nearly as in a hurry as the rest were to get there. In fact, he would wait outside when they did get there, he was sure, due to Byakuya's intense dislike of him.

"Are you coming with me?" Rukia asked Renji as he reached for the door handle. He stopped suddenly, hand in mid-air as he eyed her curiously.

"I'm assuming I'm supposed to come in with you," he said. "I was asked to deliver you."

"Well, I'm here," she said defiantly. "Surely I don't need you to show me inside."

Renji didn't know how to respond. As expected, Ichigo wasn't invited inside, so, leaning against the nearby wall, he crossed his arms casually. Despite Rukia's off comments, he followed her inside, closing the door tightly behind him.

Rukia glanced around the room, searching for a sign of her brother. For a few minutes, she thought he'd stepped out for a moment. He said nothing, although two people had just entered his office, nor were there any signs of movement.

"Captain?" Renji ventured, stepping ahead of her, his hand reaching for his zanpaku-to, just in case. Rukia's eyes narrowed curiously as she strained her ears for the slightest hint of a noise.

Without warning, Byakuya appeared from behind a nearby drape. He did not notice his sister at first, his eyes, instead, locking onto his Vice-Captain. They did not appear angry, though his voice suggested otherwise.

"You're late," he said matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry, sir," Renji replied calmly, not sounding at all sorry. "There was a situation that needed dealing with, we couldn't get back as -"

"Yes, the Hollows, I know," Byakuya turned his attention suddenly to the girl beside him, his expression unchanging though just as harsh. "I suppose you played hero, and gloated for a while before making your return."

He was, of course, referring to Renji, although he was now looking at Rukia. Renji did not respond, nor did Rukia show any signs of having anything to say in his defense. He had certainly attempted to play hero, though the gloating part did not come as it usually did.

"You've destroyed them, I'm assuming," he continued. "Seeing as you are both here, alive."

"Yes, sir…" Renji told him.

"Good," Byakuya nodded shortly, turning away from them. He stood by the window, looking down onto the town below them, his eyes focused on nothing in particular. It was clear something was bothering him, and it wasn't until then Rukia remembered why she'd been brought there in the first place.

"Renji has informed me there has been a death among the ranks," she said professionally. It wasn't at all strange for her to address her brother in such a manner, although they were family. He was her superior. Family came second to that fact. If not third, or fourth, among other ranks.

Byakuya did not turn back to look at her. He didn't even seem to recognize the fact that she had spoken. Renji glanced at her nervously, starting to second-guess himself. Perhaps he'd heard the news wrong, and informed her incorrectly of what had happened. He tried very hard to replay the scene in his mind, though he seemed convinced that was what his Captain had said.

"It was a lesser officer," he said finally, his voice still hard and monotone. He showed no remorse for the loss of a comrade, nor concern for the others who would surely follow if they didn't act soon. Rukia knew it had something to do with the Hollows. She was sure of it. "Nothing we need to dwell on. There are more important things…"

"Did they say how he died?" Rukia asked, thoroughly interested in the circumstances. She wanted to know who it was, if possible, but she knew her brother would not bestow her with that information. It was possible he didn't even know.

"A Hollow, of course," Byakuya said, finally turning toward them. He raised an eyebrow as if to question if Rukia assumed it had been anything else. "I thought you would have already assumed that. Why else would I have brought you here?"

"Do you think it's the Hollows who have been following me?" she asked, taking a step toward him.

He nodded a little, though it was evident he was only doing so quite reluctantly. He had toyed with the idea for quite a while, playing with each of the possibilities, coming to only one solution that made any sense at all. She was relieved he finally seemed to believe her.

"Then you think they're somehow coming after us!" she stepped eve closer, sounding rather excited and keen to hear what he'd found out. Something must have convinced him. "You think it's someone who knows us?"

Byakuya didn't respond. He stared at the wall behind her, appearing to be thinking rather hard. Renji cleared his throat, daring to step forward, making himself equal with Rukia.

"Captain," he said. "Who would possibly be after the two of you? I mean, you're not particularly unpopular…"

"Power, Renji…" Byakuya answered shortly. "A lot of people will do dangerous things in order to obtain the kind of power we have over this Society. "By going after the weaker of the two of us, they feel like they'll be able to get to weaken me by devastation." He avoided looking at Rukia. "I've considered executing my own sister before. If they're looking to hurt me by taking her, they're bound to be terribly disappointed."

His comment should have hurt more than it did, but Rukia understood where he was coming from. It wasn't like they had a normal relationship. In fact, if it weren't for her sister, she wouldn't even have him to look after her. It wasn't her he really loved, it was her sister. She knew that all along.

"No offense meant, Rukia…" he said, finally looking at her. "I'm just saying, being in this profession, you've got to be impervious to such things."

"I understand…" she said, nodding shortly, although she knew that if anything were to happen to him, she would be quite distraught personally.

"What is it you want us to do, sir?" Renji asked, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible, feeling the room grow tense.

"I want you to stay here," he ordered, his eyes focused on his sister. "I don't want you going back and forth to the human world. By keeping you here, you'll be protected at all times. Out there you have no one but Kurosaki to help you, and we all know how reliant he is."

Rukia opened her mouth to retort in Ichigo's defense, but closed it quickly, realizing it would be a poor choice to do so. Renji showed no signs of guilt, knowing that the boy in question was standing just outside the door. Rukia didn't dare mention it either.

But Buyakuya already knew.

"I know you've brought him back with you," he said. "But he needs to understand he's not to go back to the human world either. You _are _weaker than me, and therefore they're going to continue targeting you, and if that means going after him, then they're going to go after him without second thought. The boy isn't stupid, but he's reckless, and is bound to make a poor choice and wind up killed if he's not careful. You're to keep an eye on him while he's here. I'm leaving him under your guard."

Rukia couldn't believe what she was hearing. He _wanted_ her to be with him, to work alongside him, for once. She couldn't help secretly hoping Byakuya would let him stay in her room, even, though she thought it'd be best not to ask. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Who do you think's behind this?" she asked, realizing he hadn't quite answered that question yet.

It seemed as though it was going to remain unanswered as he shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "I've got several theories, but I don't know who it is for sure. I'm determined to find out, but that's going to be my job and not yours, do you hear me?"

His eyes flashed dangerously, suddenly catching hers. She didn't dare argue, nodding quickly. Sighing, he turned away from them, turning his attention back to the action outside his window.

"Renji, guide her back to her room. Take Kurosaki to the guest rooms on the other side of the -" he instructed.

"But, if he's all the way in the guest rooms, how am I going to be able to keep an eye on him?" Rukia asked, much too quickly for both Renji and Byakuya's comfort.

Her brother turned slowly, eyeing her curiously. Rukia knew immediately she'd made a mistake. Just because Byakuya wanted Ichigo in the guest rooms, it didn't mean that he had to stay there. She could have worked her way around it, but now she'd just dug herself into a deep hole.

"Very well," he said slowly. "We'll set up a guest cot in your room. You have, after all, been sharing a room all this time, I suppose there's nothing we really need to be worried about. If something hasn't happened yet, it's not bound to."

Renji froze, stunned by what Byakuya had said, half tempted to blurt out the fact that something had already happened. He knew, however, that doing so would lead to destructive results, potentially including pain or dismemberment on his part, so he kept his mouth shut. Rukia was relieved her brother did not suspect her entirely, although his assumptions were partially very incorrect.

"You're dismissed," he said, waving his hand.

Renji guided Rukia back to the door, not looking back at his Captain. As they made their way back into the hallway, Ichigo looked up. He'd settled himself on the floor, fidgeting with his sleeve awkwardly.

"We're not leaving," Rukia told him. "You're staying with me until this whole thing passes over."

Before he could say anything in response, she turned down the hall and with Renji in the lead, they started toward Rukia's room. He didn't need to accompany them anymore, but he wanted to make sure they were actually going back as Byakuya had instructed, and would be making frequent visits to make sure they were still there. It was what he assumed his Captain had in store for him anyway.

"What's going on?" Ichigo asked, hurrying to catch up to the others. "What did you talk about in there? I couldn't hear a thing…"

"Nothing," she said quickly, not looking back at him. "I'll explain everything later when we're alone. It's not safe to discuss it in the hallway." This was true. After the scenario her brother had introduced, she wanted everyone to be under the impression Ichigo wasn't involved in the Hollow investigation at all. It was one thing if they wanted to go after her, and a completely different thing if they were going to start going after him, just because of something she did.

"Did he know anything about the -" Ichigo continued.

"Hush!" she insisted, stopping suddenly in front of her door. She turned to Renji as if she just realized he'd been there with her the entire time. "You're free to go Renji. I'm not going to invite you in, so there's really no reason for you to be here." Renji opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off before he had the chance to utter a word. "Don't bother. I need some time to think, and I'd be thankful for you to grant me that. Good day."

She opened the door and allowed Ichigo to enter, not looking back at Renji before shutting the door tightly behind her. Before Ichigo could say anything, Rukia pressed her back against the door and spoke up, her voice more insistent than before.

"We need to talk…"

**A/N:** I'll be honest in saying a lot of you will enjoy where the next chapter goes. Hehe. It's been long awaited. So be patient and I'll have it up as soon as I possibly can. Thank you all for being so patient so far. I hope you'll continue to enjoy my story from here on in. You guys are amazing!


	17. The Bedroom

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or the related titles.

**A/N:** So, long story short, I've been gone for a really long time and I apologize. I've been busy finishing up my degree, and because I graduated last weekend, I now find myself with a whole lot of free time. I decided on a few fics I would like to at least attempt to finish and this is definitely my most popular, so I decided to pick it up again. I am also participating in a MilWordy challenge, so I need to keep writing almost constantly, which means updates will be fairly frequent. Also, you have all been waiting for this chapter for so long, so I thought you deserved it. So please enjoy!

**Chapter 17: The Bedroom**

"What is it?" Ichigo asked, arching his eyebrow in confusion.

Rukia drew a deep breath, opening her mouth to speak, but finding nearly impossible to voice just what it was she was thinking. Everything within in the last few hours had happened so quickly. First they were fighting the Hollows and now they were standing in her old room, alone, unable to return to the world of the Living. And it was okay, by Byakuya's standards, for the two of them to be sharing a living space. It was all unheard of.

"What happened in there?" he continued, watching her expectantly. "What did he say?"

Rukia shook her head. "It's not important," she said, although in a way it was incredibly important. Someone was targeting her in particular, and her brother, and without hesitation, Ichigo could be caught in the crossfire. He needed to be on guard at all times, and he needed to know that, but still, there were other pressing matters – at least in Rukia's mind.

"Then what's your problem?" Ichigo turned away from her, his brow furrowing. He didn't understand what she was so flustered with. He scanned the room curiously. It was the first time he really realized where they were.

"You're under my watch for the time being," Rukia settled on. It wasn't what she had been planning on saying, but the other subject just wasn't safe in such a surrounding. Anyone could be listening in, and her brother wasn't exactly the person she wanted finding out.

"What do you mean, under your watch?" Ichigo didn't look at her as he crossed to the large window on the far side of the room. "Am I some kind of child?"

"Here, yes," Rukia said shortly. "They'll treat you like one, especially if you don't listen to what they've got to say. You've been reckless, and so they think you're not capable…"

"Not capable?" Ichigo turned to face her, sharply. "I think I've proved to them I'm _more_ than capable!"

"That's not what I meant," Rukia said quickly, moving away from the door. "That wasn't the right word. I meant, that they think you're just…You're not…" she sighed, finding it almost impossible to form a single sentence. Her frustration was rising and she could feel her cheeks turning red. "You're acting like a teenage boy, Ichigo. A teenage boy with a sword."

Anger rose in Ichigo's eyes as he stared at her. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"I mean," Rukia stammered. "Y-You are!"

Ichigo fumed. "I am _not_ a teenage boy with a sword!"

"But you are a teenage boy with a sword!" Rukia pointed out, almost desperately. "You just…You haven't been exposed to this long enough, and they're not sure if you really understand what's at stake. They've got thousands and thousands of years of history, and tradition to uphold. They take everything very seriously."

"And so they leave you in charge?" he spat at her, jerking his head back toward the window, peering down at the grounds below.

Rukia sighed, her arms hanging limp at her sides. She didn't know what to say to him to make him feel better about the whole situation. It wasn't the direction she'd been intending to go with the conversation, and frankly, it probably would have been best if he had a guest room on the other side of the palace. The silence that fell between them grew thick and almost smothering. She continued to stand in the middle of the room, staring at him, while he refused to look at her. Neither of them knew just how much time passed before Ichigo dared to speak.

"Nice view…" he said quietly, the bitter tone still lingering the edge of his words.

"Ichigo…" she said slowly.

"I'm seriously…" he told her. "You can see just about everything…"

Rukia nodded. "I always liked it. I wasn't in here much though. I liked being down there with everyone else."

Ichigo's response was cut off by a sudden knock at the door. Rukia turned and opened it, coming face-to-face with a small boy, carrying a very large wooden cot. He struggled as he started to push it into the room.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Miss Kuchiki," he said, nearly dropping it onto the floor. "I was instructed to bring this to your room."

Rukia helped with the other end Ichigo watched as the two maneuvered it into the room just enough that they'd still have use of the door. The young boy smiled at the young woman, as though expecting something. His pink cheeks turned even pinker when she addressed him.

"Thank you," Rukia said, unsure what else she was expected to do with the boy. He didn't move from his spot. "You're free to go."

"Thank you, Miss Kuchiki!" he said, beaming. "It's nice to have you back," he added. His eyes fell on Ichigo in the corner, and he stared for a moment before Rukia cleared her throat loudly, and he turned on his heel, scampering back down the hallway. Rukia closed the door quickly behind him, and refused to turn back around, knowing very well that Ichigo was staring at her and the contraption next to her.

"What's this?" he asked loftily.

"It's a bed…" she said slowly, her voice low.

"A bed…" Ichigo repeated, eyeing the cot with disgust. "For me or for Renji? You watching over him too?"

Rukia closed her eyes and shook her head just slightly. "It's for you…" she informed him. "My brother said he'd send one over for you."

Ichigo stared at her, slightly stunned. He blinked slowly. "Your brother?"

Rukia nodded, turning around hesitantly.

"He knows I'm staying here?" he asked, skeptically.

"He insisted I keep an eye on you," Rukia explained, although she had already stated that fact. She hadn't been kidding the first time she said it. It wasn't her fault if he didn't believe her.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "What did you tell him?" he asked. "Why is he okay with this?"

"I didn't tell him anything," Rukia said honestly, her voice much firmer than before. She corrected herself almost instantly, avoiding his gaze. "There's nothing to tell."

"I'm not sleeping in that," Ichigo said, pointing at the dissembled cot lying between them. "I'll go home before I do that."

"You can't," Rukia told him. "I have very strict orders to keep the two of us here."

"Very well then," Ichigo moved toward her bed. "I'll sleep here instead."

Rukia shrugged one of her shoulders. "Go ahead," she said, without really thinking. When she realized her mistake, she didn't bother to correct herself. Instead, her eyes met with his and they stared at each other in silence for a few long moments. Ichigo's cheeks turned a light shade of red.

"You'd like that wouldn't you," Ichigo tried to brush the thought off absently, shooting her a sneering look.

Rukia didn't respond. She swallowed, and continued to stare at him. She couldn't deny it, nor did she want to at that point. It was partially – or rather, mostly – the reason why she'd asked Byakuya to allow him to stay in her room in the first place. They had unfinished business, so to speak, to attend to, whether Ichigo wanted to address it or not.

But the thought of daring to do anything along those lines here, with her brother only a hall or two away, terrified Rukia. It wouldn't be smart of them to do anything they were comfortable doing in Ichigo's room.

"Forget it," Ichigo forced himself back toward the window. "I'll find somewhere else to sleep."

"You don't have to," Rukia said quietly.

"I know I don't _have_ to," Ichigo snapped, his cheeks growing a darker shade of red. "I just – I think maybe it would be a good idea."

Rukia looked down at her feet. She didn't agree, entirely. Yes, it would be safer, but like her brother had said, if nothing had happened so far, there was little chance of it happening now. But then again, she thought, something had happened. Didn't it? Or was he still pretending it was all some kind of a dream.

"Ichigo…" she breathed, taking a step toward him.

"I'll find Renji," Ichigo said firmly. "I'll find him and we'll find somewhere else for me to stay. There must be hundreds of empty rooms in this building. There has to be something."

"But the Hollows –" Rukia argued.

Ichigo shook his head. "The Hollows are just as much a threat here as they are in my world," he said matter-of-factly. "I don't know why we have to stay here in the first place. You can't protect me there, you're not going to be able to do it here. There's really no reason for me to –"

"It's just better if you –" she really didn't have much of an argument when it came down to it. Even Rukia knew that. She just wanted him to be there; it really didn't make sense to her why. She understood why her gigai felt that way when they were together, but this – in her own world – it shouldn't have been happening. She shouldn't be feeling it still; the burning in her stomach and the tightness in her chest. The tingling sensation along her arms and legs. All of it was unfamiliar to her in this setting.

"Rukia, stop…" he replied softly, the struggle apparent on his face as well. "Just stop."

"Ichigo…I-I want you to stay here," she declared, standing just behind him. "I want you here, right here, with me –"

He turned his head slightly to glance at her. "Why?" he asked.

"I don't know!" she confessed. "Because…Because of what has happened already? You can pretend, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. I'm not a humble person Ichigo – and – and I may not be breathing like some of those girls in your class, but –" she was struggling again. She hated this. She didn't know why he made her feel like this. "But I'm not stupid a-about how this works. I-I know I feel something, and I'm not sure what it is, but I…" she looked up at him, weak from even trying. Enough with the beating around the bush, she decided. She just had to say it. Something to get him to do anything. "Would you just kiss me already?"

Ichigo stared for a good minute before his body showed any kind of reaction to what she'd just said. It started with the flushing of his cheeks, which were starting to resemble apples the more she talked Then the corner of his mouth twitched upward into the tiniest smirk. He gave his head a little smirk as he looked down at the floor in front of him, laughing a bit to himself.

"What?" Rukia asked, suddenly embarrassed and defensive. She didn't understand why he was laughing. It didn't sound like a ridiculous request.

"Nothing…" he replied vaguely, smiling mischievously. "It's just….very teenage of you to ask."

Rukia sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up…" she turned away, starting back toward the door. He was going to be impossible. Perhaps it would be best if she did just find a guest room for him to stay in. Things weren't going to progress at this rate.

"Wait," Ichigo's voice sounded out. "Where are you going?"

Rukia didn't have the chance to respond before he caught her by the arm, pulling her to him roughly. He bit his bottom lip and laughed, leaning down toward her.

"I thought you wanted me to kiss you," he taunted.

Rukia pressed her hands against his chest, though didn't make much of a struggle. "Not anymore," she said, avoiding looking directly at him. "If you're going to be an ass about it, then I'll just go find Renji and –"

Ichigo's reponse was in jest, though was laced with seriousness. "Don't you dare," he threatened. "I'm not done with you yet…"

Rukia's mouth twisted up in a dangerous smile, her eyes finally locking with his. She wriggled a little in his embrace. "What exactly do you have in mind, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo didn't bother to explain what was on his mind. Instead, he leaned down to meet her, his lips capturing hers in a vicious kiss. Rukia, who had impatiently been waiting for this long before they fought the three Hollows, curled her arm up around his neck and hungrily pulled him closer to her, her chest flush against his.

Her mouth opened to allow his tongue to pass through, gently meeting with hers. Rukia moaned softly, grabbing at any part of his shirt she could reach. They only broke apart when Ichigo's eye caught sight of the door and he recalled how many times before they'd been interrupted.

"Wait…" he gasped, pulling away. "The door…can you lock it?"

"Of course I can," Rukia replied, quite out of breath. "It won't keep my brother out, though, if he wants to speak with me. He'll find a way to get in."

She crossed to it and flipped a small latch. Ichigo watched her, turning toward the window for a moment, contemplating anything else they might have overlooked. They couldn't take too many chances.

"What about the window?" he asked.

Rukia stared at it, frowning a little. "It won't do much," she admitted, crossing to close that as well. She adjusted the thin curtain she had to block them from view, not that anyone would see them from their height. "We should be fairly safe. Unless…" she hadn't really thought of that problem. "Unless someone hears…"

Ichigo grinned, moving back toward her. He caught her this time from behind, his hands falling on her hips as he held her against him. He leaned his head down to meet her ear.

"Then I guess you'll have to be quiet…" he whispered. "Think you can handle it?"

Rukia's knees felt week as his hot breath met the side of her neck. She flashed back to the scenario she'd played out in her head that one time in the bathroom – the room fogging up with their intensity. But that had only been a day dream, something she'd made up entirely. This was really happening. Her mind reeled at the thought.

Ichigo's hands slipped tentatively to the belt wrapped around her waist, kissing her neck gently. She gasped softly every time his lips made contact with skin and Ichigo found himself addicted to the noise. He pulled the robes up around her head and off, tossing them aside. She shivered slightly, standing in front of him, wearing nothing but her underwear. She covered herself, a bit embarrassed, as he turned her around to face him. He was still fully clothed. It didn't seem right.

Realizing this, Ichigo began undoing his own robes. Rukia's hands met his, stopping him. She glanced up, drawing a deep breath.

"I think…" she said slowly. "That's my job…"

Ichigo held his breath as he allowed her to undress him. Standing face to face, it was then they realized really how inexperienced they both were. They chuckled nervously, Rukia's fingers traveling carefully up his chest, tracing every line of muscle she found. After her exploring reached his shoulder, he gently pulled her closer.

"Come here, you…" he said softly.

His hands traveled up her back and released her from her bra. It was the first time he'd seen Rukia in such a bare form, and as she had asked so very long ago, he stared. She was tiny and pink and – well, perfect. Flushed and trembling, but beaming.

Rukia, growing slightly impatient with their little game, reached forward and began tugging his white boxers down. Once again, Ichigo held his breath. When the soft fabric hit the floor, he knew it was his move. This time, it wasn't only Rukia growing impatient.

He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to the bed where he roughly pulled the final article of clothing off her body, bringing his mouth to hers. Rukia's eyes closed tight, her heart pounding as he hovered over her, his lips traveling down the side of her neck and toward her chest. He could almost hear it, although he thought he might have been confusing it with his own which was beating just as rapidly. She squirmed a little, biting her lip. He was wasting time – time they really didn't have, and as much as she enjoyed it, she couldn't bear if they were interrupted again.

Taking control of the situation, she pushed him onto his back and straddled him, very carefully lowering herself onto him. There was no pain, as she had once been told it would be like. Perhaps her gigai would have felt different. But this was quite the opposite. They slid together almost perfectly and instantly, she felt like she knew what she needed to do. Her body seemed to be telling her exactly what it needed.

As she rocked her hips to his the feeling came in waves, building and building in her pelvis. She couldn't explain what it was exactly, but it was addicting, pushing her to move faster, Ichigo's hands on her hips to guide her the whole way. She bit her lip roughly to keep herself from crying out, however, that particular feat grew more and more difficult as he bucked his hips passionately. One hand reached up, twisting in her dark hair to pull her down to his level, his laps almost ravaging hers. He too had to have been fighting the noise as he moaned loudly against them, biting at her lower lip and kissing her with an intensity she'd never experience before.

Everything about it was better than she had been expecting. Despite their awkward start, the heat between them was smoldering, and it wouldn't be long until she couldn't keep quiet anymore. She knew it was going to happen, especially when he decided to take his turn in control, flipping her onto her back. His hands gripped hers tightly, pinning her to the bed as she wrapped her legs around his waist. His thrusting increased, his forehead pressed firmly to hers. Rukia began to quake uncontrollably as the pressure where they met grew unbearable. Her mouth opened wide, though she fought the scream, knowing she would probably lose in the end.

"I-Ichi-" she panted, her voice lined with a faint whining that drove him absolutely crazy.

His movements only quickened, and as she grew tight around him, he forced his mouth over hers, allowing the noise to spill from her mouth into his, muffling it as much as possible. Shortly after she finished, he groaned loudly, coming to the same peak and nearly collapsing onto her, his chest heaving. Rukia held him close to her, her hands forming tiny fists as she too tried to regain her breath. They were sweaty and messy and still wrapped up in each other, but she didn't feel like moving. Her eyes shut tight, she wanted to be able to stay there for as long as they could.

However, as long as they could didn't last very long. As if on cue, a loud alarm sounded from the window, echoing throughout the grounds. They both jumped, staring in the direction of the window. A moment later, several sharp knocks came at the door.

"Rukia!" Renji's voice came through. "Rukia, are you there? Open the door!"

"Oh no…" Rukia scrambled from underneath Ichigo, nearly falling onto the floor clumsily. She crawled over to her discarded clothing and attempted to pull it on, not bothering with her underwear, which she kicked under the bed.

"What is it?" she called out, trying her best to remain calm.

"Emergency," Renji replied urgently. "You're needed downstairs immediately! Would you please open the door?"

His hand fiddled with the handle, but the lock held firm. Rukia was thankful for that, and she knew Renji would respect her privacy enough not to break it down. Glancing back at the bed, Rukia was stunned to find Ichigo still lying there, naked, gaping at her.

"Get dressed!" she hissed at him, mouthing the words insistently.

"What's going on in there?" Renji asked, suddenly concerned. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Rukia assured him, heading for the door. Behind her, Ichigo started to pull his robes back on. "I'm coming! We'll meet you downstairs!"

"I have strict orders to deliver you," Renji told her.

"I'll be fine, Renji!" she said loudly, reaching for the lock to the door. She opened it just enough for him to see her. Her hair was a mess, she knew it, but she hoped Renji wouldn't notice. "I was just taking a nap. I have to compose myself."

Renji stared at her. Whether or not he believed her, she was unsure, but he nodded shortly, clearing his throat. "Please hurry," he said. "It's important."

"I will," she said.

"And…" Renji seemed disgusted with the following sentence. "Bring Kurosaki with you. He needs to know what's going on."

"Very well," she replied, growing impatient and uncomfortable standing in front of him. "Thank you, Renji."

He stared at her for a moment before bowing low and turning back down the hall. She could hear him mumbling to himself as he walked away, but couldn't make out the words. As she closed the door, she leaned her back against it, heaving a huge sigh of relief. Before her, Ichigo was clothed and looked as though nothing had ever happened. Sporting a casual smile, he marched toward the door, kissing her quickly on the forehead.

"Come on, you," he said, pulling the door back open. "Your brother wants us downstairs."

**A/N:** So there it was. Worth the wait? I hope so. I'm a little out of practice with this, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I'm sorry it took so very long, but the next update will be very soon, and there will be more of where this came from I'm sure before the story ends. Gotta get more into the plot in the next couple chapters, but the IchiRuki-ness is not yet over! Not by a longshot. Let me know your thoughts and keep your eyes peeled for the next one!


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